The President of the Republic of Cyprus welcomed the statement by the UN Secretary-General, expressing his determination for the resumption of talks on the Cyprus problem

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, welcomed yesterday’s statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Mr António Guterres, regarding the Cyprus problem, while at the same time expressing the satisfaction of both himself and the Republic of Cyprus with the Secretary-General’s determination to work towards the resumption of talks on the issue.

Addressing the members of the Council of Ministers during today’s session, at the Presidential Palace, the President said: “Today is the last Council of Ministers meeting before I depart for New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

It is a General Assembly which, in addition to the bilateral contacts and the address before the Plenary of the General Assembly – as well as the variety of meetings that will take place both at Presidential level and at the level of the Minister of Foreign Affairs – is particularly important, since we will also participate at a joint meeting with the Secretary-General and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.

In addition to the bilateral meeting with the Secretary-General, I wish to refer to his statement yesterday and welcome the determination he expressed in regard to his political will to work for the resumption of talks, and to reiterate that we are ready.

From the outset, we have been working to create the conditions for the resumption of talks. We have not yet reached our desired goal, but it is significant that the seven-year deadlock – as the Secretary-General himself has noted – has ended. An important initiative is currently under way, we have reactivated the international community, and we hope to achieve what we seek: the resumption of substantive talks and, of course, the settlement of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the agreed framework.

Therefore, I welcome yesterday’s statement by the Secretary-General”.

(LY/AS)

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