UK State Minister discusses Geneva meeting, bilateral relations with House President
UK Minister of State for Europe and North America, Stephen Doughty, described discussions in the framework of the informal meeting on Cyprus, in Geneva later this month, as important, during a meeting on Friday, in Nicosia with House President Annita Demetriou.
Doughty, who is paying a visit to the island for contacts, also discussed with Demetriou bilateral Cyprus-UK relations, the current geopolitical situation and UK-EU relations. He said that he will be in Geneva to attend the informal meeting on Cyprus, on behalf of the UK.
On her part, Demetriou, who is also the President of Democratic Rally, said she will be also present in Geneva “and we will support any initiative that we think is in the right direction, but this does not imply, in any way, that a blank cheque will be given.”
Welcoming Doughty to her office in the House of Representatives, Demetriou noted, among other things, that “Cyprus will continue to support the special relationship, not only between the UK and Europe, but also between us.” She added that Cyprus and the UK have a long history with each other and expressed confidence that they will continue to do so in the future.
For his part, Doughty thanked Demetriou, saying that this is not the first time he has visited Cyprus. He referred to the historical relations between Cyprus and the United Kingdom and the ties between the two peoples. “I am really excited about the development of our bilateral relations,” he said, indicating that the British Prime Minister recently paid a “historic visit” to Cyprus.
“We look forward to many important discussions,” the British Minister of State said, adding that “we have the important (Cyprus) settlement talks coming up. We have many other bilateral issues and discussions and of course the geopolitical situation at the moment.”
Replying to a question, Doughty confirmed that he would participate in the informal expanded meeting in Geneva, scheduled for March 17 and 18.
After the meeting, Demetriou said that she thanked Doughty for the UK’s support towards the effort to restart settlement talks, adding that “we have once again made clear our position that we should, on the basis of the agreed framework, restart the talks on the parameters and philosophy of the Guterres framework.”
She said, moreover, that issues pertaining to EU-UK relations and EU relations with countries such as Turkey and the United States of America were also discussed.
Doughty was accompanied by the UK High Commissioner to Cyprus, Michael Tatham, and other officials.
After the meeting with Demetriou, Doughty had a meeting at the House of Representatives with AKEL party General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has announced that an expanded meeting will take place in Geneva, on March 17 and 18, to exchange views with the Cyprus President and the Turkish Cypriot leader on ways of achieving progress on the Cyprus issue, following their informal dinner on October 15, 2024, in New York. Representatives from Greece, Turkey and the UK are also expected to attend the meeting, with Doughty attending on behalf of the UK.
