British Minister of State responsible for European issues David Lidington has assured that “the United Kingdom strongly supports the efforts to achieve a settlement“ of the Cyprus problem, based on “a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality as defined by the relevant Security Council resolutions.“

“We are committed to a settlement for Cypriots by Cypriots to deliver a stable, prosperous and united island. We must be realistic about what is likely to be achieved in the few weeks before elections in Cyprus and Turkey. What is important is for the negotiations to remain in a robust form to be ready to move forward rapidly after the elections,“ he said.

Lidington was speaking in the framework of a lecture titled “Cyprus – Time to seize the moment“, in memory of historian and journalist Keith Kyle, organised by the Association of Cypriot, Greek and Turkish Affairs at the House of Commons.

“Just before the meeting of the two leaders with the UN Secretary General in Geneva, it was hoped that the two sides could agree on a practical plan to overcome the remaining points of disagreement across all chapters. Sadly, that did not happen and the Geneva meeting did not deliver the strategy that we all hoped for,“ he said, adding that, “despite this setback, we do not believe that the window of opportunity is now closed.“