Greek PM: Turkey Did Not Want a Solution to the Cyprus Issue

Greece wants a just and viable solution to the Cyprus issue, while Turkey reacts to a comprehensive settlement of the problem by insisting on the presence of troops on the island, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday.

The Greek prime minister addressed the House plenary in a briefing session regarding last week’s failed peace talks between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot delegations in Switzerland.

The prime minister reiterated Greece’s position that a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem for the benefit of the entire Cypriot people is needed. Greece, he said, supports the efforts of Cyprus and respects the people of Cyprus and the decisions they will make on the issue.

Tsipras said that Greece’s position is that Turkish troops should leave the island and Turkey’s intervention rights and the system of guarantees should be abolished. “The retention of guarantors and occupation troops would undermine every effort for reconciliation and peace every day,” he said

The prime minister also praised Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and thanked him publicly for his work in the talks and stated that Greece will continue efforts towards the solution of the Cyprus issue.

Finally, Tsipras welcomed the parliamentary proposal for a special committee to investigate all Greek files on Cyprus because “the Cypriot people are entitled to know… and it is Greece’s debt towards them.”


Source: http://greece.greekreporter.com/category/greek-news/tourism/

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