Russia views in a positive light the initiative undertaken by Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades to have an informal meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu and hopes the meeting will give impetus to the Cyprus peace process, Russian Ambassador to Nicosia Stanislav Osadchiy has told CNA.
Osadchiy who was asked to comment by CNA on the leaders’ meeting which takes place on Monday, said that “we view in a positive light the initiative undertaken by Cyprus President for an informal meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, because the idea of the meeting was initiated by the leader of one of the Cypriot sides and was accepted by the leader of the other Cypriot side”.
The two communities’ leaders have expressed the wish to meet and that constitutes their absolute right, he added.
“We hope that the meeting tabled to take place on Monday will be enough to give significant impetus to the process which aims to reach a solution”, he stressed, adding at the same time that this solution should be in the interest of all Cypriots and in accordance with UN resolutions.
Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Previous UN – led efforts to reunify the island under a federal roof have failed.
The two communities have been meeting with the UN the past few weeks in an effort to agree on a joint declaration for the resumption of talks.
In a written statement on Thursday evening Government Spokesman Christos Stylianides said that Anastasiades took the initiative to invite Eroglu for an informal meeting with the aim to conclude on a joint statement that will pave the way for the solution of the Cyprus problem.