Foreign Minister Kotzias’ statements following his meeting with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades (Nicosia, 27 October 2015)

N. KOTZIAS: Cyprus’s home affairs are not our concern. I want to say this: On this two-day visit, which will continue tomorrow with my attendance at the parade, we have built a more substantial, more detailed and more specific cooperation between Greece and Cyprus. It is a major practical step in the cooperation between the two states.

JOURNALIST: What picture have you gained of the negotiations?

N. KOTZIAS: First of all, the Republic of Cyprus has the will, the potential and the ability to fight to promote a just solution for the Cyprus issue, and it has our full support. With regard to international players, there are those who support this process, some are in more of a rush than they should be, and there are those who are simply looking on.

JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, you have stressed repeatedly that doing away with the guarantees is a fundamental issue. Do you think the international factor is in a position to press Turkey to change its stance?

N. KOTZIAS: When I raised the issue of guarantees a few months ago – after it hadn’t been raised for decades – and brought the Cyprus issue back to its foundation, which is the presence of occupation forces on the island, I got strange looks from a number of people. Now it is considered an issue that really needs to be discussed. Many global powers have accepted this view of Greece and, above all, of the Republic of Cyprus. I think that this fact cannot but have an impact on Turkey.

JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, many people are saying that Greece supports positions of principle on the Cyprus issue but is itself in a very unfavorable position, including with its major economic problems, and essentially cannot support this in practice.

N. KOTZIAS: No. I have repeated many times, as the Foreign Minister of Greece, that our economic weakness in no way reduces our geostrategic importance and our potential and ability to exercise foreign policy. We are trying to keep the level of our foreign policy high and to impact our weak point, which is the economy, and not the other way round, as certain third parties would have it.

JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, from any talks you’ve had with Turkish officials, do you have any indication of their stance on the guarantees issue?

N. KOTZIAS: It is my sense that Turkey takes into consideration the international environment with regard to the guarantees, which has changed since I first tabled the issue.