Sunday, 18 June 2023
The establishment of a French naval base in Larnaca violates the founding agreements of Cyprus, President Ersin Tatar said, Kibris Postasi reports.
President Ersin Tatar, speaking from the presidency to an AA new agency correspondent, regarding the Greek Cypriot Administration’s (GCA) first talks with France on the establishment of a naval base in the city of Larnaca, said, “The establishment of a base by France in the Greek Cypriot Administration and the arming of the USA is a very clear violation of the founding agreements of Cyprus”.
Tatar stated that the Greek Cypriot administration had expressed its commitment to the three agreements under the title of “establishment, alliance and guarantees” signed by Cyprus, Turkey, Britain and Greece in 1960 when the “Republic of Cyprus” was established in order to provide international legitimacy.
Neither France nor any other state can establish a base and send weapons to the island without the prior approval of Turkey, England and Greece, Tatar said.
“France’s establishment of a base in the Greek Cypriot Administration and the USA’s arming means that the establishment agreements of Cyprus are clear, and it is a clear violation. The Greek Cypriot Administration of Cyprus still claims that they are the ‘Republic of Cyprus’ and argues that the founding agreements are valid. Thus it is impossible for France to come to the South and establish a base on the legitimate ground of this agreement. And it shouldn’t be installed”, he said.
Tatar stated that the USA and France had violated the defence and arms agreements with the Greek Cypriot Administration and the Greek Cypriots’ admission to the European Union (EU) in 2004, and that they are in favour of the continuation of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Pointing out that the negotiations between the two countries to establish a naval base in Larnaca without the approval of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot people were not correct, Tatar emphasised that he believed that the Greek Cypriot Administration and France would act more carefully in this regard.
He went on to point out that the two sovereign British bases on the island would become meaningless if the establishment, alliance and guarantee agreements of the Republic of Cyprus, which are also international agreements, were to be violated.
“The violation of the establishment, alliance and guarantee agreements of Cyprus, the sovereign British base on the island, also makes their bases questionable. Violation of the agreements here makes the situation of the UK problematic here as well”, Tatar argued.
