Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides has said that the contacts which Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades had in Chicago and his speeches there before the American Jewish Committee and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs focused on two issues, the Cyprus problem and Cyprus` role in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean.
In statements on Anastasiades` visit to Chicago, which concluded on Monday, Christodoulides said that the President updated his interlocutors about the recent developments on the Cyprus problem and the prospects ahead, and referred to the role which Turkey is called to play, with a view to create the conditions that will allow optimism for a positive result, and to the help Cyprus` asks for towards this direction.
As regards Cyprus` role in the region, Christodoulides noted that “the Republic of Cyprus can provide solutions to regional and international problems and it is important that this role is recognized, especially by the US, a country which is interested in developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
Referring to Anastasiades` visit to New York, where the Cypriot delegation flew on Monday from Chicago, Christodoulides said that President Anastasiades will have very important meetings there, mainly with the US administration – the US Vice President Joe Biden on September 29 and the Secretary of State John Kerry on September 26.
The spokesman noted that President Anastasiades has already sent messages to US officials from Chicago, as regards Turkey.
“These were very concrete messages, since Turkey must prove through very concrete actions at various levels its declarations that she wants a settlement of the Cyprus problem,”Christodoulides noted.
He added that the President will also have meetings with other officials as the Russian Foreign Minister and the head of the Russian representation, the head of the Chinese representation and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. UN-led talks between President Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci began in May this year with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.
