Meeting with the General Secretary United Nations, António GuterresPresident of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiadesat Mr. Guterres’ office at the UN General Secretariat in New York.

Following the meeting, President Anastasiades stated in an MME statement at UN Headquarters that “during the meeting with the Secretary General, which lasted only a few minutes, specific reference was made to what was agreed last year, i.e. , to the appointment of a representative, or a specialist, or a personal representative.

What the Secretary General hinted at, and was probably clear, is that, despite objections from Turkey, nevertheless wishing to maintain the prospect of dialogue, he gave instructions to the Assistant Secretary General, Ms. Rosemary. Di Carlo will visit Cyprus in autumn on an investigative mission. However, the position was clear that Turkey was diametrically opposed to any initiative.”

Referring to the content of Tayyip Erdogan’s speech at the General Assembly, Mr. Anastasiadis said that “it became clear from Mr. Erdogan’s speech how important the role of propaganda is, as well as the use of misleading statements.

As I noted in my speech, unfortunately, what is mentioned about respect for international law is nothing more than the interpretation that Mr. Erdogan himself or the Turks give to international law. And I made specific references, perhaps indicative, because this is not the only violation of the UN Charter and international law, these are also threats to Greece. But the irony, as I mentioned in my speech, is that you are talking about friendly solution of problems with neighboring countries, and at the same time, Mr. Erdogan is threatening that maybe one night you will see us, we will come, threatening to occupy Greek islands by violating airspace. Not to mention the violations of international law – and I made an extensive reference – the Cyprus issue, the invasion of Syria, always thanks to the “good neighborliness” that Mr. Erdogan does, the violation of the sovereignty of Iraq, the intervention in Libya, in Nagorno-Karabakh, while it is known that while the Republic of Cyprus maintains excellent relations with all neighboring countries, Turkey is trying to find an excuse simply to change the image of isolation in relation to neighboring states.

The meeting, which lasted approximately 15 minutes, was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Ioannis Kasoulidis, Government Representative, Marios Pelekanos, Greek Cypriot Negotiator, Menelaos Menelaou, Permanent Representative of the Republic to the United Nations, Ambassador Andreas Hatzichrisantou and Director of the Office of the President Republic of Pantelis Pantelidis.

Prior to his meeting with the Secretary General, President Anastasiadis addressed the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly and, after the meeting, hosted a dinner for the permanent representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

Source: APE/MEB