Statements by the President of the Republic on his meeting with the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom and on the Cyprus Problem

We are working to welcome the personal envoy of the United Nations (UN) Secretary- General, to have a very constructive and productive discussion and to achieve concrete results towards the resumption of the Cyprus talks from the point that they were stopped, President Nikos Christodoulides said tonight.

In his statements to the press at an event in memory and honour of the Archibishop Makarios III at the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation and asked about the meeting he had today with the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, Mr Grant Shapps, President Christodoulides said “it was a good meeting”, adding that the Secretary “was in Cyprus again recently, six weeks ago.

During the meeting there was a discussion and exchange of views on our bilateral issues, on further strengthening our cooperation in many areas, especially in areas that concen the Secretary, but also on developments in general.

The United Kingdom (UK) supports the efforts of the Republic of Cyprus and of the international community in general for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to all those who need it in Gaza. We continue our contacts towards various directions, in Israel, in countries in the region, the UN and it is in this context that the discussion took place.”

In respose to another question about the meeting, the President said there was specific discussion on the issue of the humanitarian aid corridor, noting, however: “I would not like to prejudge anything. We are working in a specific direction, both us as well as the UK, and we appreciate the fact that they are actively supporting the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus.”

Asked to comment on the statements made by the Turkish Cypriot leader against the Greek Cypriot side, the President of the Republic said: “I have nothing to respond to Mr Tatar. I hope there is no need for any excuses, with or without quotation marks, on the occasion of the arrival to Cyprus of the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy. We are working to welcome the personal envoy, to have a very constructive and hopefully a productive discussion and to achieve concrete results in one direction only: the resumption of the talks from the point that they were stopped in Crans-Montana, with one objective only: the resolution of the Cyprus problem.”

(IA/AP)

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