President Nicos Anastasiades has told the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell that EU should have an active participation in an informal meeting on Cyprus, set to be convened by the UN Secretary General next month in NYC.
According to a written statement by the Government Spokesperson Kyriakos Koushos, the President held a phone conversation earlier on Monday evening with Borrell whom he briefed on the Cyprus problem and the initiatives he has taken. The President informed the EU official on the meeting he recently had with the SG`s envoy Jane Hall Luth, as well as the latest proposals he has submitted to Antonio Guterres, including Confidence-Building Measures.
During the conversation, the Spokesperson said that the President stressed the need to focus on achieving a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, reiterating his strong will for the resumption of a productive dialogue from where it left off in the Swiss resort of Crans Montana and according to the consensus of the leaders of the two communities following their meeting with the UNSG in Berlin, in 2019.
The President asked for the support of the High Commissioner for the de-escalation of the situation in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean and the termination of Turkey`s provocations.
Borrell conveyed to the President the support of the EU for the resumption of the Cyprus talks and the Union`s readiness to assist to this end.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest UN backed round of talks took place in 2017, n the Swiss resort of Crans Montana, but failed to yield any results.