President Nicos Christodoulides made an unannounced visit to the area of Agios Dometios, where recent heightened activity by the Turkish army has been noted.
The purpose of President Christodoulides’ visit was twofold: a) to get on-the-ground updates and have a personal understanding of the situation in the region and b) to speak with the local residents and reassure them of their safety.
All measures decided by the government in the preceding days for this specific area have already been implemented, Phileleftheros reports.
During his conversation with the residents, the President emphasized that “Our priority is for the people to feel secure.”
President Christodoulides stated that it was crucial for him to hear directly from the residents that they feel secure and observe the positive changes following the decisions taken.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the President visited the area near ‘Maroullou’s house’, to be informed about the implementation progress of measures taken by the Republic of Cyprus following Turkish violations in the buffer zone.
The president also noted that his presence there aimed to witness the implementation of measures “we, as the Republic of Cyprus, have taken—some of these measures concern this specific area—and to see their implementation in practice.”
When asked about the measures taken by the Republic of Cyprus, the president declined to comment, stating, “Some measures are visible, and some are not, but we will not engage in a public dialogue about the decisions that have been made.”
When asked about the steps the Republic of Cyprus intends to take regarding Turkish violations of the buffer zone, the President stated, “The violation is here, a very negative development; it does not satisfy us merely as a note in occasional reports on the activities of the peacekeeping force in Cyprus.”
He affirmed that the Republic of Cyprus would continue efforts to reverse what has occurred, “and it is not something we downplay in any way whatsoever.”
Last week, in light of the events in the Agios Dometios area, the General Secretary of AKEL called for a convening of the National Council.
Reportedly, the President of the Republic has not yet decided when to convene the National Council.
