"If anything happens to the Aegean, it may happen also to Cyprus" | Cyprus FM Kasoulides Interview

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Uranus Castle leaders is with me the foreign minister of the Republic of Cyprus now in this interview I would like to start by asking you something about this place where we are Berlin what does it feel like for you to walk around a city a European Capital that once was divided much like your Capital Nicosia is but where border installations are essentially now tourist sites and a thing of the past because of my age I had the opportunity to be in Berlin when Berlin was divided and to cross over with all that procedure that was needed to go to East Berlin then I came to Berlin when the mirror came down Germany was reunited and Berlin was reunited and became the free capital of a free country undoubtedly as you have said the feelings for reciprocute are totally different more immense than the feelings of any other European the European was looking at a divided Europe we were looking at the divided Europe but at the same time at a divided country and this of course brings the feelings and the determination to would to do what we must in order to see in Cyprus the reunification of Nicosia in the reunification of Cyprus but it'll be 50 years next year that Cyprus is essentially divided now you've just come back from a working meeting with your German counterpart Angelina baboc did you ask her specifically whether Germany can act as a mediator to solve the problem that is known as the Cyprus problem yes I have asked her and it's up to here to evaluate I think in order to make things clear Germany would like like any other country with influence to come into the efforts for the reunification of Cyprus but they need one thing they need to see that from both sides there is political will for this purpose I personally believe that this political will exists the last example of this will comes from the results of the local elections that have taken place within the Turkish cypriot community the forces who are in favor of the solution of the bisonal by communal Federation and not in favor of partition uh one elections in the most crucial municipalities like Nicosia another characteristic is in Farmer Gustine whoever Russia is where the elected mayor is against has declared himself many years back against what has happened with varosha today so we are very much encouraged we don't think that because of the policy of turkey which shows a sort of incompatible with resuming negotiations that this will take place and that after the end of the elections signs from the Greek cypriot Community with Rich Germany in order to be involved in the efforts for the reunification are you talking about the elections coming up in Greece and in Turkey all in the first half of this year in Cyprus Greece and Turkey Cyprus exactly less than a month now the presidential elections but how much of this harsh rhetoric that we're seeing now the threats coming out of turkey for example how much of this is just regular pre-election rhetoric and how seriously do you still have to take those threats coming from the Turkish president starting from the threats of the use of violence of the use of force not against us directly but against the islands of the Aegean Sea but nonetheless threats of course we are very concerned because if anything happens to be Aegean will happen also may happen also to Cyprus but having said that I hope that these are the rhetoric of turkey for going to the elections having nothing to offer to Turkish people regarding the economy with inflation being where it is and therefore they need to be sold nationalism bravado and this is accompanied with threats which concessions are you willing to make to resume those stalled peace talks we will make concession any concessions that it takes to reunite the country provided that these concessions do not damage first of all the security and stability of Cyprus and second does not impinge in in Fringe on the human rights of individual human rights of people now there were a lot of topics on the table in your discussion with annalina bear book the German foreign minister was one of them also the new EU relocation scheme in December the first Asylum Seekers from Cyprus were transferred to Germany will this plan continue did annalina Beva give you her word well I didn't I know that Germany has done it on its own will we express our expressed our gratitude for this you know what is important in the European Union and there should be a plan where member states acknowledge the solidarity for those that are in the first line and and the other member states acknowledge their responsibility towards all so I think what is what has happened through the decision of Germany and France is a very good example for others to follow so we don't expect that the gesture of Germany will resolve the problem of so many illegal immigrants in Cyprus and we do not expect that all this will be sent the the effort here is to work together for the repatriation of illegal immigrants provided that they are only danger they don't need protection and this can be done in particular with people that nowadays are coming from sub-Saharan Africa they are 10 times the number of Asylum Seekers of the past which we are already high I can understand to receive people from Syria or from Afghanistan seeking protection but I think turkey has to understand also that by receiving them by air to Istanbul and accepting a bogus certificate that they are students to go to Cyprus must change what more do you expect from Germany when it comes to addressing turkey and speaking out against some of the policies that the Turkish government is undertaking Germany is in a position to speak with turkey and speak with turkey on a friendly basis and on a basis of give and take so I believe that Germany and has demonstrated this don't ask me for details that uh turkey for this year the Year 22 um has not enter into our exclusive economic zone to apply pressure neither have they proceeded in developments in in varosha besides the fact that for both they declare that they will do so and I think that this has not taken place in 1922 is partly due to Germany 2022 yeah of course you also talked about Russia's war against Ukraine and the implications on Europe surely and energy is a big issue now Cyprus claims that it can in the future in the medium-term future play a major role because of the massive energy resources that you found around the island now we are not massive let us not exaggerate but even the ones that are now we will take in total everything in Cyprus we go up to 10 trillion cubic feet which is very important even if part of this is come it's come it will come to go to Europe it is very important uh as a part of the contribution of anybody else to alleviate Europe for its present urgent needs and um Indian totality two companies that made the new discoveries are willing to be encouraged to proceed with the method of LNG either a method on the side fsfs LNG or through the terminals in Egypt to send with tankers LNG to the next Port where there can be regulatification which is inner in Greece and from there the weight will be decided how it will be distributed in in Europe then we have the electricity interconnector which was agreed which is going to be financed by the European Union as a project of common interest and this can also contribute in supply of energy with the subsea cable that you're talking about yeah that's right but you're a chairman of the project no I'm not I was chairman of the Strategic studies private company I have resigned you helped set it up well I helped design the Strategic objectives I'm not uh no you're not benefiting from it I'm not saying that but you helped set it up um but let me say there but this is another form of getting energy to Europe and of course Cyprus has something that very few have in Europe the Sun if we now get seriously to use take advantage of the solar energy then we can also be contributors to the it's not like this like I see outside where is the Sun but in Cyprus there is Sun yeah we miss it not just for energy or Supply but let's use it for energy and never mind it when you talk about supplying natural gas to Europe what time frame are we talking about if the two companies any and total energies who are both two European companies who made the last discoveries are encouraged to put capital and do it they will do it but how do you encourage them you encourage them by giving them confirmation that the buyers and there and they promised to buy what they will send okay that's how we're in a company an energy company Works they need known customers from the beginning yeah could Germany be one such customer does Germany need to be more explicit do you think definitely Germany can be a customer but along the road there are others and perhaps you know they can agree as to how the distribution is going to be if you get so-and-so from Azerbaijan you don't need the ones from Cyprus or the Easter Mediterranean the other country will get the quantity sent by Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean and so forth I am not going to regulate this we will need a European regulator now another aspect of course when you talk about Russia's war against Ukraine is the close relationship that your country had with Russia had I said had with Russia over decades and you received a lot of criticism at the time there were things like the golden Visa program offshore companies now you said in the press conference um with analina bear book that Cyprus is willing and open to sharing information on people that exploit Cyprus that you Cyprus to circumvent it so yeah as we are doing with the United States as we are doing with the UK but how big is your regret that Cyprus is one of those countries where that is happening where people are circumventing sanctions I doubt if there are any people circumvent the actions these sanctions let them come to Cyprus let them tell us who is this person one person to person let them let us discuss with them and they are we are available for them to have a permanent kind of surveillance we are an open book as I have said listen Cyprus after the war in Ukraine began and the fact that the most important issue the territorial integrity the sovereignty and the non-violability of borders has been so violently violated it brings us memories of what has happened to us during the Turkish Invasion an occupation of one third of our country so we were obliged to go through our own side and vende our our foreign policy has changed dramatically because of this event we are known we know where we are standing we know that everybody acknowledges that we are a credible and faithful Ally to the members of the European Union and the other allies of the European Union I think this road is irreversible from now on and all stupidities which took place with selling passports and on things like that has been abandoned all the people who were on the sanctions so their passports withdrawn and if anybody else is not observing the laws of our country they will definitely see their passports withdrawn as well I want to ask you a bit about the affair on your Island because there are lots of people live in Cyprus who have Russian or Ukrainian origin Can You Feel the tensions on your Island yeah sometimes when there are demonstrations from the one side or the other there are tension there is tension but this is they it's not anything difficult it takes place Cyprus is a hospitable country those who can legally be in Cyprus they are most welcome but also it's a country which has sown its humanitarian faiths vis-a-vis refugees from Ukraine a vis-a-vis their treatment in Cyprus which is according to the Ukrainian Ambassador in Nicosia one of the best in the world you know we pay for their staying hotels if they have no where else to go they have the right to find a job they go to schools free they have free freedom of care from the healthiest Health Care system and I don't think that the Society there gets impatient with these people they understand that we reciprocute one-third of them were refugees in the past and they understand their situation similar to this country where people have their own memories of families fleeing Etc now this is your third time as foreign minister so you've seen a fair bit of international diplomacy what do you see as the way forward when it comes to this war Russia's war on Ukraine how can Russia be brought to a situation where it will end the war well first of all I would say that since we have decided to stand by Ukraine in defending itself and we saw indeed a very courageous I would say heroic resistance on behalf of the Ukrainian people I think that it is only fair to leave the ukrainians decide for themselves when and how they will accept the ceasefire and whether they will negotiate the end of the war I find it legitimate that they are asking that all Russian troops should withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territories during the prison war or before like in Ukraine in Crimea otherwise the only thing now our responsibility now is to allow them to decide for themselves not to be pressurized whether they should stop or not stop a war but that means that the EU will have to continue to supply Ukraine with Aid that's it unavoidably foreign minister thank you very much thank you

2023-01-14 19:32

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