Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Unilateral attempts of the Greek Cypriot side contradict the spirit of the negotiations”  

It has come to our attention that the Greek Cypriot administration of southern Cyprus and Israel have commenced joint military exercise in the south of the Island in the vicinity of the Trodos Mountains beginning on the 11^th of June and will last for a week. This military exercise, agreed within the framework of the defence and cooperation agreement signed between the two sides on 24 February 2016, have been set to coincide with a rather unfortunate time, and puts into question the true motives of Greek Cypriot administration.

As we enter a crucial stage in the negotiation process , where the five-party Geneva summit is to be reconvened, such unilateral attempts of the Greek Cypriot side contradict the spirit of the negotiations, further damage the environment of trust which has already suffered recently, and lead to their intentions being questioned.

We deem it necessary to note that we assess these activities of the Greek Cypriot administration as an attempt to influence the negotiations with the claim that they are the sole sovereign entity on the Island. We repeat that it is crucial for the Greek Cypriot administration to refrain from taking such one-sided steps during such a significant period, and that the equal and sovereign rights of the Turkish Cypriot people on the Island cannot be ignored.