GERMAN REUNIFICATION was one of the most touching historical moments in the country’s history and this is what Germans want for the people of Cyprus today, said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle yesterday.
“The people of Cyprus may know and should know that the people of Germany have a lot of sympathy with you and we feel in the same way, because we have been a divided country for many years and we will never forget the very special moment when the wall came down,” he said after meeting with his Cypriot counterpart Marcos Kyprianou yesterday.
Noting that reunification was one of the most touching historical moments in Germany’s history, he said: “This is also what we would wish to you and to your island and to the people of Cyprus”.
The German minister added: “We experienced ourselves what it means to live in a divided country and we wish you of course what we had twenty years ago.”
Westerwelle said he had “excellent” and “very fruitful” discussions with Kyprianou, noting that his visit was an expression of the “traditional excellent relations” between Cyprus and Germany. Germany’s aim was to treat all states, large and small, as equal members of the EU, he added.
The two ministers discussed the Cyprus problem, Gaza and the Middle East and Kosovo in light of Thursday’s opinion by the International Court of Justice which ruled that Kosovo’s declaration of independence was not illegal.
Commenting on the decision, Kyprianou highlighted the fact that the Court “distinguishes the case of Cyprus from that of Kosovo”.
“This is very important. It specifically does so. It explains why the unilateral declaration of independence is illegal concerning the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus,” he said.
Cyprus is one of only five EU member states that have refused to recognise Kosovo’s independence from Serbia.
“Our position on Kosovo remains unchanged and we believe that any change to the territorial integrity of a country has to come through discussions and negotiations. We will study the opinion very thoroughly and we will continue being constructive regarding the development and assistance to Kosovo in the EU,” said Kyprianou.
Westerwelle echoed the view that Kosovo was a “very specific” case and “has nothing to do with any other cases in the world”.
“There is a special historical background and this opinion of the judges had to do with this specific historical background and this specific situation, and it is not a decision for other countries or for other regions in the world,” he said, adding, “it is a unique decision in a unique situation with a unique historical background”.
On the Cyprus peace talks, the German minister said he was convinced that a solution was possible “if both sides act constructively and in a spirit of understanding”, highlighting his country’s support to the process.
Kyprianou said the two discussed President Demetris Christofias’ latest proposals in the talks, which Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu has already rejected.
“We believe this will help progress and the speeding up of the talks and other issues as well, such as the progress in negotiations for Turkey’s accession to the EU,” said the Cypriot minister.
Support for Christofias’ proposals on Famagusta, the property issue and an international conference on Cyprus came all the way from Russia yesterday, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko describing them as “a very important step towards finding a mutually acceptable solution through the intercommunal negotiations”.
Nesterenko reaffirmed Moscow’s support to the talks process and called upon the international community to do the same. “The attempts to take decisions on behalf of the Cypriots, ie. imposing deadlines and arbitration, are not productive,” he said.
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