President of the House of Representatives Yiannakis Omirou has said there is a convergence of views with the Czech officials as regards the Cyprus issue, the management of the economic crisis in the EU and other international issues related to terrorism and the Ukraine.
Omirou, who is paying Prague an official visit at the invitation of his counterpart Jan Hamáček, told CNA today that his visit will give a new impetus to bilateral relations on a parliamentary level, adding that there is an interest to further enhance relations in the fields of tourism, commerce and business activity.
Asked about the interest shown by Czech officials as regards the official visit of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades to Moscow and Cyprus – Russia relations, Omirou told CNA that he explained to his interlocutors that there is no possibility of allowing the use of Cypriot ports and other facilities in the Republic of Cyprus for military purposes.
He added that the facilities include activities for humanitarian operations, operations against drug trafficking, as well as against terrorism.
Omirou added that he explained that the relations between Cyprus and Russia are based on a sincere friendship, on cooperation and solidarity, and he recalled that the Russian Federation and previously the Soviet Union have fully supported the positions of the Republic of Cyprus as regards the Cyprus issue.
Cyprus, he said, is a full EU member state, but this does not forbid the development of relations with any other friendly state, like Russia.
The House President pointed out that the agreements signed in Moscow during the Cypriot President`s official visit there are nothing more than an update of the already existing agreements.
In his statements to CNA from Prague, Omirou said that he briefed the Czech officials on the Cyprus problem and the fact that for 40 years now, Turkish troops occupy 37% of the territory of Cyprus. Ankara, he said, continues to illegally transfer settlers to the island, destroys the cultural and religious heritage in the occupied areas and refuses to agree on a solution of the Cyprus problem based on the UNSC resolutions and the values and principles of the EU.
In addition, he briefed his interlocutors on the Turkish provocative illegal actions in Cyprus` Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Ankara, he said, violates Cyprus` sovereign rights in its EEZ as defined in the international Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Omirou noted that the Czech officials expressed their full support towards the Cypriot positions which are based on the principles of European and international law.
Another item on the agenda was the situation in the Ukraine. Omirou said that both Cyprus and the Czech Republic share the view that the solution of the crisis should be a diplomatic one, based on the Minsk Agreement as it was updated on the 15th of February.
As regards the economy, the House President said that both countries agree that austerity policies in the EU should be replaced by policies for growth, investments, the creation of new jobs and social cohesion. During the meeting they also discussed about terrorism and the threat of the so called “islamic state”.
Turkey, which is an EU candidate country, violates international law and human rights in Cyprus since the invasion against Cyprus in 1974. Numerous resolutions and decisions by international and European organisations calling on Ankara to withdraw its troops from Cyprus are not respected by Turkey.
In October 2014 President Anastasiades suspended his participation in the 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/MF/AAR/MM/2015
ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY