Greece Won’t Accept Partition of Cyprus, New FM Says

Greece and Cyprus vowed Tuesday that no faits accomplis could be accepted on the island, nor any solutions favoring partition as Turkey demands.

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis held a joint press conference in Nicosia after the Greek diplomat’s first overseas visit since his appointment.

Gerapetritis replaced Nikos Dendias who moved to the Defense Ministry last week after a new cabinet was sworn in in Greece following Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ victory in the parliamentary elections.

Gerapetritis. a Professor of Constitutional Law at the Law School of the University of Athens, served as state minister for most of Mitsotakis’ previous term.

Greece’s top priority is finding a “fair” solution for Cyprus

“We are not going to accept faits accomplis in any way,” said Gerapetritis. He added that finding a fair solution to the Cyprus problem is Greece’s “top national priority.”

Gerapetritis argued that “Greece consistently supports Cyprus in resuming efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue.”

Kombos said: “Greece has been and remains our perennial support” regarding the Cyprus issue.

“Our common vision remains the reunification of Cyprus exclusively within the agreed framework of the United Nations, based on the Bizonal Bicommunal Federation with political equality, as defined by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.

“We emphasize that we will never accept solutions that favor partition or other similar approaches”.

He said Greece was a key ally in Nicosia’s efforts to strengthen the contribution of the EU in reunification talks.

“Its active involvement, both in breaking the impasse and during the negotiations, is of primary importance.

“The recent Conclusions of the European Council are relevant.

“We find that the Cyprus issue is again part of the agenda and that our approach is being recognized and accepted,” said Kombos.

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots seek to change the dynamic of Cyprus negotiations, demanding the acceptance of two separate states on the island before deadlocked talks can resume.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gerapetritis met Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides at the presidential palace in Nicosia.

Gerapetritis sought to emphasize that the current climate is heating up.

“We are indeed living in historic moments. The circumstances are quite challenging regionally and internationally, and the challenges are significant,” he warned.

Gerapetritis added that within the framework of the common goals in promoting shared interests, the two sides must ensure that the Cyprus problem is resolved in the fair and viable way “we all desire”.