26 June 2012 - NICOSIA, (SANA) – Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis said that her country supports the plan of International Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan and opposes any military intervention against Syria, calling for adopting a political solution as the optimal way to resolve the crisis.
In an interview with Russia's ITAR-TASS agency, Kozakou-Marcoullis said that Cyprus took a decisive position from the beginning based on total rejection of any military intervention in Syria and that it views that reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis is very important.

The Minister, whose country will preside upon the EU during the next six months, said that Cyprus supports Annan's plan and its six points, and that her country will try to convince the rest of Europe that this is the best path to follow in this affair.

Kozakou-Marcoullis, who is participating in the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday, said that it's in the best interests of Cyprus and the EU to unite efforts in supporting Annan's plan, and not just within the EU, but also with partners in the Security Councils, including Russia which is a main partner.

She warned that if foreign intervention and a war take place in Syria, then the conflict will spread to neighboring countries and the entire region, which is in nobody's interest and no-one wishes for such developments to happen.

The Minister said that Cyprus' words have weight in the EU foreign ministers council, so as the nearest European neighbor of Syria, it will spare no effort to inform other European countries of its concerns over any military escalation.