“If we consider a military solution through militarization, this will be the end of Cypriot Hellenism, which I do not want,” said President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades on RIK TV, in an interview to be aired on July 1.
According to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency report, the Cypriot president was interviewed after a meeting last week with Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Cyprus.
President Anastasiades stressed that he is seeking a purely diplomatic solution to the geopolitical threats Turkey is posing on Cyprus and the overall instability it is causing in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“Mr. Borrell’s presence here is nothing more than confirmation that our European partners are concerned about how and in what way it is possible to act to avoid an unwanted crisis in an area that is also the EU border,” the President of Cyprus stated.
Borrell expressed the EU’s commitment to continue the defense of democratic sovereignty and sovereign rights of Cyprus in relation to repeated Turkish provocations, which the EU also condemns.
“Cyprus’ concerns are also EU concerns,” the European Union official stated. He stressed that exploring and exploiting oil and gas deposits inside the Cypriot EEZ are the exclusive sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“The EU will continue to send clear messages to Ankara to respect international law, to put pressure on an immediate end to Turkish violations and show determination,” Borrell said, noting that he would personally convey those messages to Ankara.
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