Anastasiades: National dignity would never allow Turkey’s legal presence in Cyprus

Outgoing President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday said the goal in Cyprus was to end the occupation and anachronistic guarantees which do not exist except in vassal states, and to apply human rights and the principles and values of the EU to all Cypriots without exception.

Anastasiades was accompanied by Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides, National Guard Chief, Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis, the Bishop of Paphos, Georgios, where he inaugurated the new officers’ mess inside the Kostaki Pantelides base.

Addressing the soldiers and officers, Anastasiades, referring to the ongoing division of the island said it is “a burden that he bears” because despite all efforts made and the goodwill shown, Ankara’s obsession with revisionist policies and its desire to transform Cyprus – “or the Republic of Cyprus or the evolving Cyprus Republic into a federated regime, a self-controlled, protectorate, remains”, he said.

Anastasiades also said that “national dignity” and his own Greek and Cypriot origin would not allow him to accept signing a solution in Crans-Montana in 2017 “that would immediately ensure the legal presence of Turkey in Cyprus forever and put into doubt the survival of Cypriot Hellenism”.

“We are a European country, our citizens are European citizens and have the same rights as other European citizens,” he said.

“What we are trying to do is to defend the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. Of course through diplomacy we are trying to find a peaceful solution through dialogue, but also always based on the resolutions of the United Nations, believing that at some point both Ankara and our Turkish Cypriot compatriots will realise that, as the Church says, injustice is not blessed,” he added.

Referring to the National Guard, Anastasiades said gone were the days when ‘Nikiforos’ was the only notable exercise of the National Guard. Anastasiades noted that the involvement of the National Guard in exercises, not only with neighbouring countries, but also with European states or even US forces, gave another dimension to the utilisation of the island’s potential.

“I feel great joy and emotion, given that this is the last time I have the opportunity in my official capacity to address a modern army, semi-professional but fully trained, trained, equipped in a way that is the real deterrent force of the country,” he said.

“This is also combined with armaments programmes, which are defensive and not offensive or conditional, because we are a peaceful people,” he stressed.

Petrides in his address said the government had now laid the foundations for the modernisation and upgrading of the National Guard and were currently running more than 20 armaments programmes with the highest in the last 20 years.

“In addition, in diplomacy we have concluded more than 15 bilateral, trilateral and multilateral cooperation, always showing the way and acting as a pillar of stability for the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean. Our staff works and trains every day and is able to carry out their mission worthily,” he added.