The international community works to support the two communities in Cyprus in order to find a solution to the Cyprus problem, British Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond has said.

Speaking after a meeting he had on Thursday with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades at the Presidential Palace, Hammond said that during the meeting he had an update on the negotiations around the settlement of the long-running division of the island.

“Obviously, the whole international community ardently desires settlement. We are working in every way we can to support the two communities in trying to find a resolution to this long-running problem. I am optimistic”, he said.

Hammond noted that President Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci working well together and both of them are committed to finding solutions. “But there are of course big challenges that still need to be addressed and we will give every support we can as they move to find a solution”, he concluded