Statement by the President of the Republic to Reuters

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, on the sidelines of the MED7 Summit in Valletta, Malta, responded to questions by Reuters in the presence of Cypriot Media.

After his remarks to the Media, along with the rest of the state leaders who participated in MED7, the President of the Republic replying to a question by Reuters regarding the situation with Turkey, he said that “It is about the violations of international law and the Treaty of the Law of the Sea by the invasion, actually, of Turkey in our own Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in an effort to drill within the area. So, this is a threat against peace and this is what we are trying to avoid. We don’t want a crisis. The international law is there and it is quite clear;, so nobody could violate it by the use of force; violate the sovereign rights of another country. Actually, this is exactly what I said (at the Summit) and I am quite pleased and happy for the strong solidarity that Cyprus has received by our partners, sending a strong message to Turkey as well.”

Replying to a question as to what his wish and desire is for the future, the President said “to live in peace, to reach a viable solution in Cyprus and to normalize our relations with Turkey. Turkey, unfortunately, once again violates the rules of the EU; They (Turkey) do not recognize Cyprus and (Turkey) as a candidate member state doesn’t comply with the requirements of the EU.”

(RM/AS/SCH) 

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