President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades met on Monday Greek PrimeMinister Alexis Tsipras, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that takes place in New York, in order to coordinate their moves ahead of meetings they will have, during which the two leaders are set to discuss the Cyprus problem.
In statements after the meeting, Cyprus’ Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides said that the position of the Greek government is clear and shared by the President of the Republic, adding that the solution of the Cyprus problem cannot include foreign guarantees and foreign troops in a country, member state of the EU.
He said that the proposal submitted by the President of the Republic at the negotiating table regarding the issue of securities offers all necessary safeguards for all people of Cyprus, providing answers to any concerns.
Moreover, the Government Spokesman said that they discussed the possibility of a multilateral conference.
Such a meeting, the Spokesman said, “cannot take place unless we are close to a solution and there is progress on all chapters so that if such a conference is convened it can have a positive outcome.”
He also said that during their meeting, Anastasiades and Tsipras acknowledged the significant progress achieved so far in some issues at the negotiating table.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides, and Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Kotzias.
Today, the Greek Prime Minister is expected to meet with US Vice President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Theresa May while the Greek Foreign Minister will hold a meeting with UNSG`s Special Advisor for Cyprus Espen Barth Eide.
Cyprus, which joined the EU in 2004, has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN led talks are underway since May last year with a view to reunify the island under a federal political system.
