Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, who departs for New York, on Saturday, is set to hold meetings with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and neighbouring countries` government leaders while he is also set to deliver speeches in think tanks on the Cyprus issue, Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides has said.
In statements to the press in Bratislava, Christodoulides spoke of “four pillars” as regards the visit, the first of which has to do with the meetings President Anastasiades will have with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the main topic of discussion in which will be the Cyprus problem.
The second pillar according to the Cypriot official has to do with the meetings President Anastasiades will have with government leaders of neighbouring countries, aiming to further enhance regional cooperation.
We consider that regional cooperation sends messages to both the EU and other countries in the region that there are common challenges and common problems which clearly could be dealt with better through joint action, he noted.
The third pillar of the presence of Cyprus President in New York has to do with his public appearances in think tanks where he will speak on the Cyprus problem but also on the Republic of Cyprus` role in the region, he added.
The fourth pillar relates to this meeting with UN Secretary General, in the presence of Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, after the UN General Assembly has finished.
It is a meeting, according to Christodoulides, which will offer an opportunity to present Ban Ki-moon with the situation as it stands today but also to discuss how the steps forward in the context of the ongoing Cyprus talks process.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN brokered talks resumed in May 2015 aiming to reunite the island under a federal roof.