Greek Foreign Ministry on 43 years of the pseudo-state: Greece categorically rejects the fait accompli of the Turkish invasion and occupation

Greece categorically rejects the fait accompli of the Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus, the Greek Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, November 15, in its statement on the 43rd anniversary of the illegal declaration of the pseudo-state. The ministry recalls that the pseudo-state was declared unilaterally 43 years ago, “in flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations” and of international law. The message from Athens comes at a time of movement on the Cyprus problem, with the UN trying to restart talks.

Greek diplomacy invokes UN Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984), which condemned the declaration as legally invalid. On that basis, Athens calls on all states to respect international law and “to oppose every form of revisionism”. It also calls for full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus. The legal background is set out in our explainers on the 1983 secession and what the UN and ECHR said, on the 1974 coup, Turkish invasion and UN resolutions and on the ECHR rulings on northern Cyprus.

On resolving the Cyprus problem, the ministry repeats that Greece, in full coordination with the Republic of Cyprus, remains committed to a comprehensive and mutually acceptable settlement. That settlement is understood “on the basis of a Bizonal, Bicommunal Federation with political equality”, with “one international personality, one sovereignty and one citizenship”. The framework Athens sets out is the relevant Security Council resolutions and the European acquis.

In the last part of the statement, Greece “welcomes the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and of his Personal Envoy” to resume substantive negotiations. The aim, according to Athens, is a just, viable and functional solution. On Monday, November 9, Nikos Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman met in the Nicosia buffer zone with UN envoy María Ángela Holguín and agreed on two new crossing points. The two leaders also agreed on coordination to handle emergencies and on an exchange of archival material, and will meet again in the coming weeks in the presence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The President of the Republic of Cyprus has set as a goal the resumption of talks before the end of the Secretary-General’s term at the end of the year. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited the occupied part of Nicosia on November 6, a few days before the meeting of the two leaders. There, according to the Turkish foreign ministry, he held contacts with Erhürman, Ünal Üstel and Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, whom Ankara presents as the “president”, “prime minister” and “foreign minister” of the so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”, an entity recognised by no country other than Turkey.