The UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told the House of Commons that he is “cautiously optimistic” that a settlement to the Cyprus issue may be possible, during a foreign policy questions and answers session on Tuesday.
The Conservative north London MP David Burrowes asked the Foreign Secretary, given the “momentum” for Turkish accession to the EU, to confirm that the reunification of Cyprus will be a significant condition.
“Amid all the other challenges, this one is surmountable given the increasing confidence and wider benefits not just for Cyprus but for the wider region,” commented Burrowes, the Parliamentary Group Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Cyprus.
Hammond responded by saying that he visited Cyprus a couple of months ago and that he is committed to going there again next month. He also said that he has been keeping in touch with both the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Akinci, to whom he spoke a couple of weeks ago.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we are seeing an alignment in Cyprus that may make a settlement possible – I do not want to over-enthuse about this, but many people think we now have a chance, the like of which we have not seen for decades,” added the UK Foreign Secretary.
