Cyprus expects all parties involved in the Cyprus issue to exercise pressure and play their role in a constructive way in order to resume settlement talks, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said responding to a question following his morning meeting with the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly at the Foreign Office, in London.
During their discussion Minister Kombos laid out the Cypriot view on the EU assuming a more active role towards resuming the stalled negotiations on reaching a settlement to the long-standing Cyprus issue.
Messrs Kombos and Cleverly also discussed issues of bilateral importance, such as the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Memorandum signed last November, as well as regional issues.
“We reaffirmed the importance of our bilateral relationship, which bears historical depth, is multi-layered and has a substantive content,” Dr Kombos commented on his exiting the Foreign Office in Westminster.
“I presented our views regarding the Cyprus problem, I explained the President of the (Cyprus) Republic’s proposal for a more active involvement of the EU with the aim of resuming the negotiations, and we also discussed the importance of the role that the United Nations will retain in this process, as well (the importance) of the constant role the United Kingdom holds with regard to issues pertaining to the Cyprus problem,” added the Foreign Minister.
He also said that he “reiterated our position that as far as the resumption of talks is concerned we have no other option but to insist and press for their immediate resumption. Our will towards this direction is unfaltering, so that we can break the impasse.”
“The starting point for us,” went on Minister Kombos, “is the point where the negotiations stopped at Crans Montana in 2017, always and exclusively within the framework that the UN sets for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality. This is the only way out; there is no other option on the table. We take the initiative and we try to lead things to the negotiating table.”
Asked whether he saw an intention on the British side to support the quick resumption of settlement talks, Foreign Minister Kombos said: “Every interlocutor who has a genuine concern about the Cyprus problem wants the negotiation to progress – London is such an interlocutor, with a diachronic role. We expect everyone that has a role to play to exercise pressure and indeed play their role in a constructive way, which will help all of us return to the negotiating table.”
Receiving his guest at the Foreign Office, the UK Foreign Secretary expressed his gratitude for the Cypriot cooperation on the Sudan evacuation operation.
Dr Kombos extended a formal invitation to Cleverly to visit Cyprus.
The Foreign Minister’s two-day visit to London concludes with a working lunch with the Labour Party’s Shadow Europe Minister Stephen Doughty.
On Thursday he held talks with the Chair of the APPG for Cyprus Sir Roger Gale and the executive council of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK.
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. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
