It is absurd that Turkey calls on Russia and Ukraine to stop the war and contribute to world peace, while at the same time it ignores its own invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and the horror it left behind, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said on Sunday.

He added that Turkey assumes the role of a state that would bring balance, continuing this absurd course, paralleling even its own demand to join the EU with Ukraine’s case.

And this when as a country candidate for EU membership and a NATO member state, it consciously chooses not to abide by the decisions and the responsibilities stemming from a series of agreements and commitments, he added.

Addressing a memorial service in Ayia Marina Xyliatou, Nouris underlined that the government and the people of Cyprus unreservedly denounce the Russian invasion and stand firmly beside the people of Ukraine.

He called for an immediate ceasefire to end the tragic loss of human lives.

“We also ask for the termination of the violation of the sovereignty, the human rights, and the fact that the Ukrainian people are forced to become refugees,” he added.