There is a genuine concern that Cyprus continues to be occupied by Turkish troops, while hundreds of thousands of settlers are being transferred to the northern Turkish-occupied areas of the island, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia Peter Slipper has said.
Slipper, along with Australia’s Senate President John Hogg, extended an official invitation to House President Yiannakis Omirou and a parliamentary delegation to visit the country, and met with them yesterday, Wednesday, in the capital Canberra.
Australia, and indeed, Cyprus, would be very keen to see negotiations proceed, so that Cyprus once again could be entirely unified and that the authority of the Republic of Cyprus government could be recognized properly throughout the island, Slipper said when speaking to Cypriot media.
On the continuous colonization of the Turkish-occupied part of the island by settlers, the Speaker of the Australian House said that there is a real worry that some hundreds of thousands of Turkish citizens have been moved onto Cyprus.
He further noted that Australia recognizes the government of the Republic of Cyprus as the sole legitimate authority for the entire island, adding that he wished Cyprus well on assuming the Presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2012.
(Source: CNA)
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