President of the House of Representatives Yiannakis Omirou has stressed that the illegal visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the northern Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus is one more sign of Ankara's lack of will to change its stance as regards the Cyprus issue.

The House President, who met Tuesday French Ambassador in Nicosia, Jean- Marc Rives, expressed the deep appreciation of the people of Cyprus to France for its firm support for justice on the island.

According to an official press release, they both stressed the excellent relations between the two states as well as the possibilities to further enhance them in all fields.

The French Ambassador expressed his deep condolences for the tragic incident in the Naval Base "Evaggelos Florakis", near Limassol, on July 11th, which resulted in the death of 13 people and damaged the island's main power plant in Vassiliko. He also expressed the readiness of his country to offer any possible help and support to Cyprus.

Referring to the Cyprus problem, the House President expressed the sincere will of the Greek Cypriot side for a solution based on international law and the European principles and values.

Unfortunately, Omirou pointed out, the increasing intransigence of Turkey has not allowed so far any substantive progress on the basic aspects of the Cyprus problem.

Referring to the illegal visit of the Turkish Prime Minister to the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the Turkish invasion against Cyprus, Omirou said that this visit is one more proof of Turkey's lack of will to change its attitude as regards the Cyprus problem.

Omirou said that the solution of the Cyprus problem should be a product of a free negotiation between the two sides and reiterated the stance of the Greek Cypriot side that it will not accept strict timeframes or arbitration in the process.

''Turkey should finally comply with international law and with its obligations to the EU and its member states, including Cyprus", he noted.

During the meeting, the French Ambassador briefed the House President on the various activities and programs prepared by the Embassy of France with the aim to further promote French culture in Cyprus.