Deputy Defence Minister of Slovakia Miloš Koterec has expressed the belief that the Cyprus problem will soon be solved on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions and the international law, something that will offer new major opportunities for further growth in Cyprus.
Koterec, who is paying a visit to Cyprus, on the occasion of the events taking place for the 50 years of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) presence on the island, met on Thrusday with Defence Minister Christoforos Fokaides.
According to an official press release, the two ministers exchanged views on issues related to the competencies of the two countries` Defence Ministries and commended the high-level relations between Cyprus and Slovakia in all sectors.
Fokaides informed Koterec on the latest developments in the Cyprus issue and the new prospects after the discovery of natural gas reserves in Cyprus` Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The Cypriot minister referred to the important, as he described it, role which the Slovak diplomacy has played in Cyprus during the last 25 years, by facilitating the bi-communal dialogue between the political parties of the two communities of the island, and expressed the gratitude of the government of Cyprus and the Cypriot people for the participation of a Slovak military contingent in UNFICYP.
Moreover the two ministers reviewed the development of military capabilities, both on the institutional level within the EU and on the bilateral level, with a view to address various contemporary and disproportionate threats, and underlined the need for the EU to promote conditions of security and stability in its region.
Fokaides underlined that Cyprus has undertaken various initiatives in the sensitive region of the Eastern Mediterranean and upgraded its role as a bridge between countries of Europe and the Middle East. The two ministers also underlined the substantive role which the small states can play within the EU and for the regional security.
Fokaides and Koterec also exchanged views on issues of cooperation in the fields of military training, search and rescue and of military missions.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu reached in February an agreement, which led to the resumption of peace talks to reunite the country under a federal roof.