Despite the difficulties and challenges, the appointment of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, could lead to the resumption of the negotiations on the Cyprus issue, President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides said οn Sunday.

He pledged once again that the government will do its utmost to find a viable solution for all legal residents on the island.

Delivering a eulogy at a memorial service held in Limassol for a fallen citizen in 1964, the President said that the government has assumed the responsibility of asserting the rights of all citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and “the great struggle for the liberation and reunification of our homeland.”

He said that there is a specific strategy the government follows and knows very well what it aims for. The President said that “we are working in order to tame the Turkish intransigence and create the prospects for the resumption of the talks”.

President Christodoulides vowed that the government will continue taking initiatives to the direction of the resumption of the dialogue.

He referred to the power and prestige of the Cyprus Republic as a member of the EU and to the initiatives that highlight the role and importance of the country in the region.

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.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.