Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Hadjivassiliou clashed with former Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu over Cyprus during an Economist Impact conference in Lagonisi, near Athens.
Davutoglu, Turkish premier from 2014 to 2016 and foreign minister before that, argued that had Greek Cypriots accepted the 2004 Annan Plan, Cyprus would now be recognized by Turkey. He said the EU should not have admitted Cyprus while the Cyprus issue remained unresolved.
Hadjivassiliou rejected the claim, insisting Turkey was illegally occupying one-third of Cyprus and that the island’s EU accession was fully justified. He reiterated Greece’s support for a bizonal, bicommunal federation as the basis for a settlement.
When Davutoglu said that “Turkey’s presence on Cyprus is based on international law,” Hadjivassiliou responded saying “it’s an invasion since 1974.”
