The United States strongly supports Cyprus negotiations aiming to reach a settlement reunifying the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, a US State Department spokesperson has said.

Invited to comment on statements made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his recent illegal visit to Cyprus` Turkish occupied areas, Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State Mark Toner said that the US position on Cyprus is well-known.

“The United States strongly supports the negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General`s Good Offices Mission under Alexander Downer to reach a settlement reunifying the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation“, he noted.

Furthermore, he recalled that “as Secretary Clinton reiterated during her recent trip to Turkey, `the status-quo – in Cyprus – has gone on for too long“`. The Spokesperson added that both Greek Cypriots as well as Turkish Cypriots could benefit from a solution on the island.

“We believe that both sides would benefit from a settlement, and we strongly support the renewed, reenergized efforts that the United Nations is leading and that the Cypriots themselves are responsible for, because ultimately, they`re the ones who have to make the hard decisions about how to resolve all of the outstanding issues“, he went on to say.