Cypriot Foreign Minister Thanks Russia For Position On Cyprus Guarantee System Termination

Umer Jamshaid Published February 22, 2019 | 04:11 PM

Nicosia is thankful to Moscow for its position on the Cyprus issue and support for the abolition of the anachronistic system of guarantees of 1960, which gives other states the right to meddle with the island nation's internal affairs in certain situations, Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides told reporters on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd February, 2019) Nicosia is thankful to Moscow for its position on the Cyprus issue and support for the abolition of the anachronistic system of guarantees of 1960, which gives other states the right to meddle with the island nation's internal affairs in certain situations, Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides told reporters on Friday.

"With regard to the Cyprus problem, I expressed the gratitude of the Republic of Cyprus to the Russian Federation for maintaining its position on the Cyprus issue for many years, in particular within the UN Security Council, for its clear position on the abolition of the outdated 1960s system of external guarantees, which gives [guarantor powers] the right to interfere in [the country's] internal affairs," Christodoulides told reporters after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

Nicosia is also thankful to Russia for supporting the need for Cyprus to continue having a UN peacekeeping contingent stationed in the country as long as the current state of affairs persists, he added.

Christodoulides said that he and Lavrov had agreed that bilateral relations between Moscow and Nicosia were at a very good level.

"Today, Mr. Lavrov and I had the opportunity to discuss the prospects for their [bilateral relations] further development. And so we agreed to work together on actions to achieve this goal on a number of issues of mutual interest," the minister concluded.

The 1960 Treaty of Guarantee stipulates that Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom are the guarantors of Cyprus' security and territorial integrity. The treaty also reserves the right of the guarantors to interfere in the island nation's affairs if there emerges a threat to its independence.

In 1974, Turkey used the treaty to justify its invasion of Cyprus following Greece's announced intention to unite with the island state. In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus proclaimed independence, and remains solely recognized by Turkey.