The Greek side’s stable stance towards the illegal regime in the northern part of Cyprus expressed once again Prime Minister Antonis Samaras who is on the island on a working visit. Speaking at a joint press conference with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, the Greek PM underlined that his country “will never recognize the illegal military occupation of Cyprus,” sending a clear message to Ankara during a period in which the two countries’ relations are tense due to the Turkish violation of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). According to Samaras, Greece and Cyprus are proceeding with coordinated actions in order to address the Turkish provocations. “This meeting is taking place at a time when there is an escalation of tension, proving the necessity of unity and mutual understanding between Greece and Cyprus,” Samaras said. Furthermore, commenting on the analysis undertaken in a spirit of unity by the political leaders of Cyprus, the Greek PM characterized it as fruitful and encouraging. Declaring that Greece will always be on Cyprus’ side, Samaras said that the island is the bastion of culture and the key to the stability in the region and Europe as a whole. Finally, the Greek PM referred to the EU decision on Cyprus’ right to exploit its hydrocarbons, which is also a message to Ankara. On his behalf, the Cypriot President said that the discovery of hydrocarbons will benefit all of Cyprus, meaning both Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots. As he stressed, the issue of energy should function as an incentive to speed up the dialogue towards a final and an acceptable solution over the 40-year Cyprus problem. Concluding, Anastasiades declared that the tripartite cooperation recently agreed between Greece, Egypt and Cyprus is not directed against any of their neighboring countries.
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