Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, reaffirmed on Tuesday to the UN Secretary-General`s Special Envoy on Cyprus, Jane Holl Lute, his readiness to participate both in a new informal meeting on the Cyprus problem and substantive talks, with a view to reach a just, functional and viable solution of the problem, based on the UN Security Council resolutions and the UNSG`s relevant mandate.

Moreover, the Government Spokesman, Kyriacos Koushos, said in a written statement that Anastasiades expressed his readiness, if the UNSG deems that useful, to have a joint meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar.

According to Koushos, the President reiterated his proposals for substantive Confidence Building Measures, as they have been outlined to a letter which Anastasiades has sent to the UNSG and have been submitted during the informal meeting that took place in Geneva on April 27-29.

Furthermore, the Spokesman recalled that President Anastasiades will have a meeting on Friday wih the UNSG on the sidelines of the EU Summit in Brussels, with whom he will discuss the whole spectrum of the Cyprus problem, and during which the President will outline again the positions of the Greek Cypriot side.

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.

A 5+1 Informal Meeting that took place in Geneva, on April 27-29, failed to find enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations in relation to the settlement of the Cyprus problem.

UN Secretary – General, Antonio Guterres, has said that he will convene in the near future another meeting of the 5+1, the five plus the United Nations, again with the objective to move in the direction of reaching common ground to allow for formal negotiations to start.