Mitsotakis: It makes no sense for Cyprus, an EU member, to remain divided

The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his weekly post on Facebook, on Sunday referred to the Cyprus issue, a day after he addressed a remembrance event in the island republic capital of Nicosia on the occasion of the dour anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

“”Good morning to all. In these days and hours, Hellenism everywhere in the world remembers the wound of Cyprus, which has remained open and painful for half a century. As I also told (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan during our recent meeting in Washington, it makes no sense for Cyprus, an EU member-state, 50 years after the tragedy of 1974, to remain divided. It’s our wish and hope that the two communities will take advantage of the new opportunity presented and sit at the (negotiation) table to find a solution within the framework of the UN resolutions, and under the inviolable condition that any agreement will recognize one sovereignty, citizenship, and an international character. In this effort, our Cypriot brethren have the support of Greece,” Mitsotakis wrote.

Turning to a burning – amid an ongoing heatwave – domestic issue, he cited the government latest announcement to subsidize power rates for at least the next two months.

“We have decided to impose over the next two months an extraordinary levy on electricity producers using natural gas – the figure will be determined at the end of July – and to use these revenues to subsidize those (consumers) who are contracted with the ‘green’ and ‘yellow’ rate programs, without exception to a first or second residence, in the first phase beginning with the month of August. I remind you that we have already allocated more than 10 billion euros during the steep increase in electricity prices, and that the Greek mechanism for taxing windfall profits became a European policy,” the Greek prime minister added.

Source: tovima.com