Christodoulides raises issue of arrested Greek Cypriots in final Stewart meeting

President Nikos Christodoulides raised the issue of the five Greek Cypriots who remain in custody in the north after having been arrested last month during his final meeting with outgoing United Nations special representative in Cyprus Colin Stewart on Monday, presidential press office director Victor Papadopoulos said.

He said Christodoulides “had the opportunity to raise the issue of those abducted by the Turkish-backed regime in the occupied territories and the ongoing so-called trial”, before calling the trial a “travesty” and saying Christodoulides had spoken of “the suffering of five Greek Cypriots, citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union”.

“It is an unacceptable situation. We have made all the representations to the UN secretary-general [Antonio Guterres], the EU’s institutions, the EU’s member states, the permanent members of the UN security council, and all the international organisations in which Cyprus participates,” he said.

Then asked to comment on calls for the crossing points which connect the island’s two sides to be closed in response to the arrests, he said that “the president was clear in his statements on the issue”.

Christodoulides had on Sunday been categorical in his rejection of suggestions made by Edek and Elam, as well as Famagusta district governor Yiannis Karousos, that the crossing points be closed.

“We, as the Republic of Cyprus, never prevented people from crossing to the occupied areas. Turkey and the occupation regime did. I remind you that in 2003, it was a decision made by the occupation regime to partially lift the restrictions,” he said, referring to the opening of crossing points for the first time, 22 years ago.

Papadopoulos on Monday said that aside from the matter of the arrests, Christodoulides and Stewart had reviewed the latest developments with regard to the Cyprus problem, “and agreed that the key to the solution lies in Ankara”.

“It is Turkey which holds the key to unlocking the impasse and resuming talks,” he said.

Asked to comment on Stewart’s statements that there was “reluctance” to work towards a solution on the part of both sides’ leaderships, he said that “we do not share such assessments”.

“We are all bound by UN resolutions and UN representatives are bound by UN security council resolutions. However, everyone knows, and this was discussed today, that the key lies in Ankara. We are cooperating with the UN so that UN resolutions are implemented at all levels on all issues of the Cyprus problem,” he said.