Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis statements upon arrival at the EU General Affairs Council (Brdo, Slovenia, 23.07.2021)

The issue of Varosha was raised by Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis upon arrival at the EU General Affairs Council held in Brdo, Slovenia, with items on the agenda including the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and the re-launch of the economy in the post-pandemic era.

Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs made the following statement:

“I am pleased to be in Slovenia for the start of the Slovenian Presidency, but also for the discussion we will have on the EU enlargement to the Western Balkans. Both the Western Balkans and the EU enlargement towards them are key objectives of our foreign policy. We believe that exporting democracy and development to the Balkans will bring about a significant change in improving not only the lives of millions of people but especially the security of our neighbourhood. Security in our neighbourhood, as you know, cannot be taken for granted, as became evident after the recent statements by the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Tatar, who announced the lifting of the military status of (part of) the fenced-off area of Varosha. We believe that this move undermines all the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for a solution to the Cyprus issue, changes the status in the occupied part of Cyprus and, of course, proves that the Turkish provocation for changing the status in Cyprus and creating fait accomplis does not stop, 47 years after the invasion. Today, here in Brdo in Slovenia, we will discuss and decide the steps that Europe is going to take in the post-pandemic era. The virus and the pandemic are still part of our lives and we must find better ways to combine citizens’ health security with a smooth re-launch of economic activity.”