Acting President of the Republic and President of the House of Representatives Yiannakis Omirou received today the new Ambassador of Switzerland Peter Reinhardt with whom he discussed the Cyprus issue and bilateral relations.
According to an official press release, they both praised the excellent bilateral relations as well as the good cooperation between the two Parliaments in international fora. They also underlined their wish to further enhance this cooperation in various fields.
Omirou expressed the House of Representatives` gratitude for Switzerland’s principled stance on the Cyprus issue and referred to the suspension of direct Cyprus talks due to Turkey`s provocative stance and threats against the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus in its offshore Exclusive Economic Zone.
Reinhardt wished for an achievement of a viable solution in Cyprus soon.
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since 2004, has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN led talks to reunify the country under a federal roof have failed so far due to Turkey`s intransigent stance and policy of a `two state` solution on the island. Turkey, which is an EU candidate country, violates international law and human rights in Cyprus since the invasion in 1974. Numerous resolutions and decisions by international and European organisations calling Ankara to withdraw its troops from Cyprus were not respected by Turkey.
In October 2014 President Anastasiades suspended his participation in the Cyprus talks following a Navigational Telex or NAVTEX, issued by Turkey in October last year, as Turkish seismic research vessel “Barbaros” violated the Republic’s exclusive economic zone. Repeated calls for the withdrawal of “Barbaros” went unheeded by Ankara, which announced in January the NAVTEX`s extension until April 6, 2015.
CNA/AAR/GV/2015
ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY