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Turkish PM Statement on Cyprus “Outrageous and Incendiary”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Georgea Polizos
November 14, 2013—No. 66 (202) 785-8430

Turkish PM Statement on Cyprus “Outrageous and Incendiary”

WASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) issues the following statement in response to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement, “There is no country named Cyprus. There is the local administration of south Cyprus.”  The prime minister made the statement November 10, 2013 as quoted by the Turkish-Cypriot daily newspaper Kibris.

 “Prime Minister Erdogan’s statement is outrageous and incendiary,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. 

 “The government of the Republic of Cyprus is the internationally-recognized government. The Republic of Cyprus is a member of the United Nations, a member state of the European Union, and a member of countless international organizations, including the IMF, WTO, IAEA, and OSCE.  It would be a member of several more international organizations if it were not for Turkey’s veto threats.

 “The prime minister’s statement demonstrates that Turkey is not serious about a Cyprus settlement and is ambivalent about joining the European Union. 

 “Furthermore, it is crucial for the United States to send a strong message to Turkey that this type of rhetoric directed toward the Republic of Cyprus, which shares the United States’ core values of freedom, democracy, and adherence to the rule of law, is counter-productive and will be not be tolerated.  As AHI has long maintained, Turkey is an unreliable ally.  The prime minister’s most recent statement further proves this point.”

The American Hellenic Institute is a non-profit Greek American public policy center and think tank that works to strengthen relations between the United States and Greece and Cyprus, and within the Greek American community.

 


For additional information, please contact Georgea Polizos at (202) 785-8430 or at pr@ahiworld.org. For general information about the activities of AHI, please see our website at https://www.ahiworld.org.