Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides is expected to have a series of meetings with the new non permanent members of the UN Security Council at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, next week in New York, in order to inform them about the Cyprus issue following the latest failed attempt in Crans Montana, Switzerland.
Kasoulides is also expected to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Egypt in preparation of the next tripartite Summit and meet with other counterparts and international organization officials.
As CNA learns, the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Greece and Egypt will meet on Friday, September 22, in New York, to discuss preparations ahead of the next Tripartite Summit that will take place next November in Nicosia, in the presence of Greek Premier Tsipras and Egypt’s President Sisi.
During his meeting with non permanent Security Council members and Foreign Ministers from countries with which Nicosia traditionally maintains friendly relations, Kasoulides will brief them about settlement efforts in Cyprus, in light of the outcome at the Swiss resort last July.
He is expected to outline the reasons that led the Conference on Cyprus to end inconclusively, as well as Turkey’s responsibilities with regards to this outcome. The Minister is also expected to emphasize the willingness of the President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, to resume negotiations, in line with the parameters set by the UN Secretary General.
Kasoulides will also meet preemptively with non permanent SC members, in an effort to highlight the importance of UNFICYP, the peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, amid the general debate at the UN to reform peacekeeping.
The US government, who is the largest contributor, pushes for major budget cuts in missions around the globe. Through Kasaoulides’ meetings, Nicosia wants to send the message that the financial burden of UNFICYP lies mainly with the Republic of Cyprus. He is also expected to highlight the importance of UNFICYP, as long as Turkish troops are stationed in the northern part of the island.
In an effort to brief members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation about the Cyprus issue, Kasoulides will also meet with his counterparts from Indonesia and the United Arab Emiartes.
The Minister will also see his counterpart from Lebanon on Tuesday, September 19, while two days later he will meet with the Arab League Secretary-General, upon the request of the latter, to exchange views on EU relations with the Arab world. On the same day, Thursday September 21, the Foreign Minister will also meet with his Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem, with whom he met in previous years as well while in New York.
Kasoulides is expected to attend and address a High-Level event organized by Italy on “Protecting cultural heritage from terrorism”, in the framework of promoting the Nicosia Convention on offences related to cultural property, together with the Secretariat of the Council of Europe.
Finally, Kasoulides will attend a meeting with fellow Ministers from the International Organisation of La Francophonie, he will chair a Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting and accompany President Anastasiades in several other meetings.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest attempt for a Cyprus settlement failed on July 7, 2017, when UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana that the Conference on Cyprus ended without an agreement. The talks, held under the auspices of the UN, aim at reuniting Cyprus under a federal roof.