Cyprus’ President and UN Secretary General discuss preparations for resumption of talks

A spokesperson of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Monday, in a written statement, that the Secretary General had a meeting with “Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus and Leader of the Greek Cypriot community” where they “discussed preparations for the resumption of negotiations aimed at achieving a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus”.

“They exchanged views on progress made in preparing the ground for the resumption of talks, as well as outstanding challenges”, the statement pointed out.

The announcement further noted that the Secretary-General also commended Anastasiades for his important efforts in addressing the economic and financial crisis in the Republic of Cyprus.

Regarding the meeting of the Secretary General with the Turkish President Abdullah Gül, the Spokesperson noted that they agreed on the need for decisive action by the Security Council on Syria, as well as the importance of alleviating the plight of Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries. They also discussed the Middle East Peace Process and the Cyprus question.

“The Secretary-General sought Turkey’s support for a timely and results-oriented resumption of negotiations to reach a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus”, the announcement said.