Tribune of The UN General Assembly in New York became the scene of a sharp clash over the Cyprus issue, BNR reported.
In a speech on Wednesday night, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's claims of two separate states on the island “revisionist” and “illegal under international law”.
„Illegality resulting from invasion, aggression and the use of force cannot be recognized,” said President Nikos Christodoulidis. Thus he responded to the request expressed by the Turkish president in his speech a day earlier for the international community to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The Cypriot head of state accused Turkey of “violating international law and the UN Charter” with the occupation of part of the country for 50 years.
Christodoulidis appealed directly to Erdogan to demand the immediate resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus issue, declaring that he was ready to do so “today, not tomorrow”.
„No country that believes in the moral superiority of its position refuses to sit at the negotiating table”, stressed Christodoulidis.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly, the Cypriot president called for an immediate end to the war in the Middle East and the revival of the peace process there.
He expressed the belief that the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East can become a center of stability, peace and cooperation.
Christodoulidis later reported that the US and France were trying to negotiate a temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite movement "Hezbollah".
Cyprus is the closest EU country to Lebanon. The island is also at the forefront of efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.