Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos reiterated that a Cyprus settlement needs to respect UN resolutions, during his meeting with UN envoy Jane Holl Lute on Friday in Washington.

The meeting took place ahead of Lute’s departure to Cyprus, where she is expected to meet on Sunday with the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

Lute made no statements after the meeting, which lasted for about one hour.

From his part, Katrougalos said that he told Lute that Greece considers the Cyprus issue as an issue of international law and reiterated the country’s commitment to the need to resolve the Cyprus problem with respect towards UN resolutions.

He also said that Greece aims to discuss the international aspect of the Cyprus problem, that is the termination of the anachronistic system of guarantees and the withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops.

The Foreign Minister of Greece also said that the two sides in Cyprus have exclusive competence to discuss the issues that concern them. Katrougalos noted moreover that he reiterated the need to renew the mandate of the peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFCYP), adding however that this issue should not be regarded as crucial for the next steps in the negotiations.

Negotiations in Cyprus need to resume with respect towards international law and the relevant UN resolutions, the Greek Foreign Minister concluded.

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. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.