US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland will be travelling to Nicosia September 14-15 where she will meet President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. She will also hold contacts with senior Cypriot officials to discuss further advancing U.S.-Cypriot relations, as well as regional issues.
According to a press release issued by the State Department, the Assistant Secretary will meet with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders “to convey continued U.S. support for a fair and lasting settlement of the Cyprus problem through the process facilitated by the U.N. Secretary General’s Good Offices Mission”.
Additionally, Assistant Secretary Nuland will meet with civil society leaders from both communities.
Yesterday Assistant Secretary travelled to Kyiv, Ukraine, to participate in the Yalta European Strategy (YES) Annual Meeting. She is scheduled to meet with senior Ukrainian officials, party leaders, and civil society members to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN-backed talks, aiming to reunite the island under a federal roof, resumed on May 15, this year.