RAMALLAH: Cyprus has upgraded the diplomatic status of Palestine, reports AP. On Friday, Erato Kazakou-Marcoullis, the Cypriot foreign minister, conducted talks with her Palestinian counterpart Riad Malki and ordered the upgrade of the diplomatic mission to full embassy status. This came after Cypriot president Demetris Christofias sent a letter to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas declaring his recognition of Palestine, reports Haaretz. Kazakou-Marcoullis states that the move is in line with Cyprus' recognition of a Palestinian state in 1988. It also supported Palestine's bid for membership in the United Nations General Assembly this past November. Palestine was also recognized by Paraguay as a sovereign democratic nation. President Christofias outlined the important historic relations with Palestine in the letter. Palestine and Cyprus share other similarities as well. Cyprus was invaded by Turkey in 1974 and roughly 1/3rd of the island nation is under Turkish occupation. It was the first time one NATO member attacked another. As a result of the military occupation, thousands of Greek Cypriots were forcibly moved from their ancestral homes in the north and resettled in the south. Turkey then transferred citizens to live in the occupied north. The capital, Nicosia, is divided as well. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is a pariah state only recognized by Turkey. The only direct flights to the TRNC come from Turkey who keeps the northern economy running with subsidies. Cyprus joined the European Union as one nation in 2004. Since then, relations have thawed slightly between the north and south but no solution is in sight. BN
