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Friday, 22 November 2024
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Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-01-07Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT CHRISTOFIAS - TURKEY - OCCUPATION TROOPSPresident Demetris Christofias has called on Turkey to withdraw its occupation troops from Cyprus and respect its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.President Christofias said that a country which claims to have a policy of zero problems with its neighbors must understand that one of its neighbors is the independent Republic of Cyprus and it should have zero problems with Cyprus. It is high time that Aishes holidays come to an end, Aishe must go home, the President pointed out, in a direct reference to the slogan the Turkish military used to launch the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus (Aishe is going on holiday). Turkey, which aspires to join the EU, does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since May 2004. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Ankara, in spite of repeated calls by the international community, has refused to withdraw its troops. The Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot sides have been engaged in direct negotiations since September 2008 to find a mutually agreed settlement that will reunify the country. The two leaders met with UN SG in New York in November and agreed to meet again in Geneva late January. [02] GERMAN CHANCELLOR - CYPRUS VISITPresident Demetris Christofias has said that next weeks visit to Cyprus by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel is extremely important both for country itself and the ongoing peace talks. President Christofias said that such visits highlight the recognition afforded to the Republic of Cyprus, as a single independent sovereign state, in addition to expressing support for government efforts to reach a solution of a bi-zonal bi-communal federation, through the current negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot community, and reunite the island.Germany is a country with political clout in Europe and the world. It is a big country which plays an important role in international relations, the President pointed out. He noted that Germany, being divided for decades before it was reunited in the recent past, would advocate the reunification of Cyprus. Berlin still has many problems to tackle following the countrys reunification, he added. President Christofias thanked Merkel and the German government for their principled position on the Cyprus problem. He added that ``this is the first visit of a German Chancellor to Cyprus and it carries great weight, just as the first visit of the President of the Russian Federation in October, the Popes visit in June and many other visits. Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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