“The Republic of Cyprus will submit an application to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and in this context we will continue to play a leading role in this organization,” said the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis.

In his speeches to journalists after the trident at the Prisoners’ monuments and the laying of a wreath as part of the national anniversary of April 1, the President of the Republic, referring to the Message of the Day, said that “we honor the purest, most glorious struggle in the history of Cypriot Hellenism. This struggle has led to the most precious thing we have today, the Republic of Cyprus, and we must never forget this dimension. I want to reiterate that prices should not be limited to anniversary events, like the one we’re here today, like the one we’re going to this afternoon.

“The real honor lies in our daily behavior, in the way we conduct politics, but in particular in the fact that we speak on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, in our efforts, in our struggle to end the occupation, to liberate and reunite our homeland. for which, no matter how many problems, difficulties and obstacles, you can be sure that we, for our part, will do everything possible in all directions to break the deadlock and resume negotiations on the settlement of the Cyprus issue. “.

In response to a journalist’s remark that this struggle is very difficult because of Turkey’s intransigence, the President of the Republic said: “It is certainly a very difficult fight because of Turkey’s intransigence, but under no circumstances will we be satisfied with the statement that the struggle is difficult due to Turkish intransigence.” Where we will be judged, where we will show whether we really receive messages from the EOKA struggle, despite the difficulties, problems, we will do our best. And it is within this framework, thanks to a new approach, that we want the EU. play a leading role because we believe that yes, he can and has motives to break the deadlock, restart negotiations and resolve the Cyprus issue. We are here to fight and that is what we will do until we reach our goal.”

When asked what went wrong and the candidacy of Cyprus for the post of the General Secretariat of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) did not pass, the President of the Republic said that “there is no mistake, and I also saw some reports today that allegedly due to the fact that not was the Cypriot candidacy, Greece was forced to support Turkey. Let me tell you that the agreement between Greece and Turkey on mutual support in the UN Security Council as well as in the IMO preceded any thought of a possible candidacy of the Republic of Cyprus. The Republic of Cyprus will apply to the IMO Council, as we have done for the past few years, and we really have enough support, and in this context, we will continue to play a leading role in this organization. What does it mean? It is important, through our significant intervention in the IMO, to support the rights of the Republic of Cyprus, because, as you understand, we are a country that since 1987, precisely because of the position of Turkey, we have had very serious problems in the shipping sector. We also see today that Turkey is taking advantage of the crisis in Ukraine to create difficulties for Cypriot-flagged ships.”

And on the question of whether the election of Turkey to the IMO General Secretariat will have negative consequences for Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis said that “under no circumstances do I believe that the Secretary General of the IMO, whether from Turkey or any other country, can in any way or in a way create problems for an internationally recognized State, a State which, especially in the shipping sector, plays an important role.”

Source: RES-IPE