More convergences in Cyprus peace talks are needed in order to pave the way for territory and security discussions, FM Ioannis Kasoulides has told UNSG Ban-Ki moon.
The two met on Thursday in the UN headquarters in NYC and they discussed the Cyprus problem as well as other regional and international issues.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis, who is candidate for the Presidency of the UN General Assembly, the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN Nicos Emiliou and the Director of the FM`s Office Koula Sophianou.
In statements to the press following the meeting, the FM said than Ban expressed his wish to be the SG that will manage to resolve the Cyprus issue. According to Kasoulides, Ban said that he would like to chair a meeting between the two leaders in Cyprus. “I told him that it is our wish , the two leaders` wish to manage to find a solution within 2016. I told him how important it is to reach more convergences in the next weeks of the intensified dialogue in order to pave the way to move to the next step and discuss territory and security”, the Minister pointed out.
Kasoulides told the press that the SG said he wants to leave his mark on the Cyprus issue, by chairing a meeting between the two leaders. FM replied that he is more than welcome to do so, but when time is right so that the meeting is productive. “Conditions need to be mature for such a meeting to take place, so that it could be a step forward and not something that would lead to a failure”, FM said.
Furthermore, the FM told the press that UNSG also touched upon the various misunderstandings that took place in Istanbul and led to the postponement of scheduled meetings. He said that since the SG spoke on the phone with President Anastasiades, he thought that there is no need to longer insist on this issue and we should rather focus on the negotiations.
The two men also discussed the situation in Syria and Libya, issues related to Sustainable Development, the Paris decision on climate change, migration etc.
According to a readout issued by the UN on Ban-Kasoulides meeting, the Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister exchanged views on the progress made by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Mr. Anastasiades and Mr. Akıncı, respectively, in the Cyprus talks.
“The Secretary-General commended the determination and perseverance of the leaders and was encouraged by their meeting that had taken place earlier in the day, under the auspices of the United Nations”, the statement says.
Furthermore, the Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister discussed the large-scale movement of refugees and migrants towards Europe, the ratification of the Paris climate change agreement and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. They also touched upon the situation in Syria and Libya.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. The two sides have been engaged in peace talks to find a negotiated settlement that will reunite the country, under a federal roof.