Status quo in Cyprus not an option, president says

Cyprus and Greece are cooperating fully to create the preconditions for the resumption of substantive negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday.

Speaking at the annual memorial event for Greek composter Mikis Theodorakis, in Chania, Crete, Christodoulides referred to the 1974 Turkish invasion and said his generation, which remembers the war, bore the responsibility to reunify the island.

Christodoulides, who was the main speaker at the event, thanked Greece and its people for their support, adding that a strong Greece was a strong ally of Cyprus and contributed to stability and safety in the region.

“Our vision is a homeland without an occupying army, without guarantors, without guardians,” he said.

He added that “the status quo is not an option and cannot constitute the future of Cyprus.”

Referring to Theodorakis, the president praised his work, adding that he also had opinions on all issues, including politics.

He said Theodorakis cared about Cyprus and its future and was always present in all its struggles.

“We will never forget everything Mikis Theodorakis offered to our occupied homeland and its people,” Christodoulides said.

Speaking to reporters on his arrival at the event, Christodoulides said it was a pleasure to accept the invitation to attend the event.

Christodoulides, who was invited to speak at the event, said it was “a great honour” to do so.

He added that Theodorakis was “very close to Cyprus, since 1964 when he first visited the island.”