At a time when Turkey is blatantly violating international law, it is the last country that has the right to lecture others on peace and international stability, Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Sunday.
Speaking after the conclusion of the national memorial service in Pachyammos for those who fell during the battles of Tillyria in 1964, and when asked about Turkey’s signing of a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and whether this is expected to affect Cyprus, the Minister of Defense said that, just as the Republic of Cyprus, as an independent member state of the international community, enters into bilateral, trilateral, or other agreements with friendly or allied powers, Turkey, too, is seeking to establish relations and enhance its capabilities as a member of the international community within the same framework.
Beyond that, he pointed out, it should be taken into account that the Turkish President himself, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has emphatically stressed that the agreement that has been signed is a defense agreement and, indeed, that other states may also participate in it.
“What I want to emphasize is that Turkey has had occupation forces illegally stationed in Cyprus for 52 years,” he said, adding that since Turkey itself is flagrantly violating international law “it is the last country that has any right to lecture any other state on peace and international stability.”
Source: CNA