Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades had a telephone conversation on Thursday afternoon with US Vice President elect Mike Pence.

According to a statement issued by the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Pence expressed US readiness to support in a constructive way the efforts underway for a Cyprus solution.

He also conveyed President elect Trump’s warm greetings and expressed the government’s wish for further enhancement of the already close ties between the two countries.

President Anastasiades briefed the US VP elect on the current developments on the Cyprus issue and underlined our determination to continue the efforts for a solution that will reunite the island.

He congratulated the new US government , wished every success and reaffirmed the will of the Cyprus government to further strengthen the relations between the two countries in all sectors.

Government Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides wrote in his twitter account that the two men discussed the Cyprus problem and bilateral issues.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs covering Cyprus, Greece and Turkey Jonathan Kohen is currently paying a visit to Cyprus. He is set to meet with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the country`s communities and UN officials.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Τhe leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, namely President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have been engaged in UN-backed talks since May last year, with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.

In November the leaders had two rounds of talks in Mont-Pelerin on territory.  The UN had announced at the end of the talks that despite their best efforts, the two leaders were not able to achieve the necessary further convergences on criteria for territorial adjustments that would have paved the way for the last phase of the talks.