On the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels on November 17, deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos stated that for Greece , Turkey’s flouting of international law, at the expense of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, remains an issue of concern and high priority.

“In all my meetings with my colleagues, I stress this issue and see that they understand the need, not just for declaring respect for international law, but for desisting from the violation of international law on the ground, which is very important; this is also the position stated by the European Council” added Mr. Venizelos, further noting his expectation that Turkey would understand that any aspiration for a European perspective and a regional role could only gain approval by the very system of international legality it is contravening.