Nicosia thanks New Delhi for supporting UN's mandate on Cyprus issue

Nicosia [Cyprus], December 29 : Cyprus on Thursday thanked India for supporting the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), wherein Security Council expressed concern over unauthorized activities in the buffer zone separating Greek and Turkish communities in the northern and southern regions of the Mediterranean island since 1974.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides in a joint presser with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, "I grab today's opportunity to extend in person our heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation of India's longstanding principled stand in our continued effort for the reunification of Cyprus, expressed by your country's support in the United Nations Security Council on the issue of Varosha and the resolutions for the renewal of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) mandate."
The current issue between Cyprus and Turkey is an ongoing dispute between Greek Cypriots in the south and Turkish Cypriots in the north. According to a recent report by American broadcaster Voice of America (VOA), tensions between Greece and Turkey over the divided island of Cyprus appear to be escalating.
"As a global power, with an important stabilizing role in the neighbourhood of South Asia, India sets an example with its wisdom and leadership so that peace, security and stability may prevail. The political obstacles that emerged as a result of the partition of India, stand as a historical example that serves as a guide to our efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus," said Kasoulides.
He also thanked General Thimayya and General Dewan Prem Chand for their tireless efforts during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and recalled the common fight against colonialism.
"As we have seen in the case of India, the country's partition was just a beginning of a perilous journey and certainly not the end, therefore, a two-state solution for Cyprus and its people cannot be accepted. In this regard, I thank General Thimayya, who served in Cyprus until his passing in 1965 and General Dewan Prem Chand, whose tireless efforts during the Turkish invasion, to protect civilians, evacuate foreign diplomatic staff and safeguard the airport in Nicosia will never be forgotten," said Cyprus Foreign Minister.
"It is with great honour and pleasure that I welcome Cyprus's good friend and colleague, External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar. Cyprus and India are bound by parallel, historical experiences such as the fight for freedom from colonialism and our common path to Independence. The excellent level of relations between our two countries is also uncorked by our shared vision for world peace, freedom, democracy and the rule of law," he added.
He also thanked India for the service and sacrifice of its peacekeepers.
"Our island has one of the longest-standing UN Peacekeeping Missions deployed on our territory. We thank India for the service and sacrifice of its peacekeepers," said the Cyprus minister.
Kasoulides also informed that he discussed the situation in Ukraine and Afghanistan, as well as, EU-India growing strategic ties with his Indian counterpart Jaishankar.
"We also touched upon a number of regional issues such as the situation in Ukraine and Afghanistan, particularly for Ukraine, we expressed our concerns on the several political, economic and humanitarian implications of the ongoing war and the global spillover on food and energy security. We are growing the necessity to intensify their efforts for the international community to achieve a diplomatic solution that ends the suffering of the people and restores peace and stability. We also discussed the framework of the EU-India relations which over the years has evolved to a strategic partnership with both sides jointly working together to address common challenges to promote peace and security, as well as, effective multilaterals," added Kasoulides.
He further said that today's meeting was another reaffirmation of the excellent relationship strengthened during the past 60 years of diplomatic relations between Cyprus and India.
"This solid partnership continues to diversify and deepen at all levels. People-to-people contact has shaped naturally strong long-standing bonds of friendship," added Kasoulides.
Ioannis Kasoulides further stated that both countries are looking at ways to further strengthen our ties in fields such as commerce, investment, maritime affairs, tourism and education.
"In the course of our meeting, we had the opportunity to go over the full spectrum of our bilateral relations, but also, on a wide range of other global and regional issues of common interests. We welcome the strong momentum in our bilateral cooperation," he said.
The Cyprus FM said that the intention is to continue annual political consultations which are held uninterruptedly for the last ten years, adding, "We believe that these consultation mechanisms between our two Foreign Ministeries provide a solid platform for dialogue, creating a common understanding and enabling us to broaden our efforts."
Notably, Cyprus and India signed three important agreements with the aim to foster cooperation in effectively addressing issues of mutual concern.
"The MoU on defence and military cooperation will help develop the relevant dialogue. Furthermore, today with International Solar Alliance Agreement, we join a collective platform along with a number of other countries that aims to address an issue that affects the globe -- energy transition. We have also signed a declaration of Intent on Immigration and Mobility which demonstrates our willingness to start a substantive dialogue with the aim of concluding an agreement that will tackle the issue of illegal immigration and facilitate mobility in a proper manner. We also exchanged information and ideas about how our countries can contribute more effectively to the promotion of peace and strengthening of stability in our regions," said Kasoulides.
He also briefed the minister on trilateral cooperation mechanisms that Cyprus has established together with partners in the Eastern Mediterranean region, designed to foster synergies and understanding to the benefit of all.