Cyprus Should 'Get Rid of So Called NATO Support', Build Peace

Cyprus should remove foreign military bases from its territory to use demilitarization for development of peaceful relations with all nations, among them Russia, Toumazos Tsielepis, the Progressive Party of Working People of Cyprus (AKEL) political bureau member, told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, Tsielepis participated in Moscow talks of AKEL leader Andros Kyprianou and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, that were mostly focused on the Cyprus settlement, as well as Moscow-Nicosia bilateral relations.

"We want to get rid of so called NATO support. The island should be demilitarized. We need to free the island of any military bases in order to build peaceful cooperation with everyone, including Russia," Tsielepis said.

Under the 1960 treaty, Greece, Turkey and Britain are guarantors of the independence and territorial integrity of Cyprus. The deal allows Britain to retain sovereignty over two military bases on the island, which are often used for Western military operations in the Middle East.

Cyprus was divided in 1974 after Turkey invaded the island in the wake of the Greek Cypriots coup. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus proclaimed independence almost a decade later, currently recognized only by Turkey. Ankara keeps some 35,000 troops in the breakaway northern part of the island.