Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker on Friday visited the Green Line which separates Cyprus’ two sides.
He was accompanied on his visit by President Nikos Christodoulides and Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos, visiting a section of the Green Line in Nicosia’s old town, before going onto the roof of Nicosia’s city hall to see the city and the Green Line from above.
After the visit, he said that what he had seen had reminded him of what he had seen in Berlin when that city was divided between east and west and added that he hoped the division of Cyprus would be brought to an end in the future.
Visits by foreign dignitaries to the Green Line have become customary in recent years, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun having both made visits to the Green Line in recent months.
The move has rankled some in the north, with ‘parliament speaker’ Ziya Ozturkler having passed comment on the visits earlier in the summer.
“The Indian prime minister looks from the roof, while the Lebanese president looks through some barrels. This approach ignores the will of the Turkish Cypriot people. There is no need for them to look from afar. They are welcome to come and see the state we have here firsthand,” he said.
Click here to change your cookie preferences