Greek Prime Minister tells NATO summit that Cyprus talks should resume

Cyprus talks must resume, Greece’s Prime Minister told the 75th NATO summit taking place in Washington, according to Greek Government Spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis.

Marinakis, who was speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, told reporters that during his intervention at the NATO summit Mitsotakis also referred to the Cyprus problem and the need to resume the dialogue for its solution.

He said that the Greek Prime Minister “referred to the Cyprus problem, stressing that 50 years after the tragedy of 1974, Cyprus, a member state of the EU, cannot remain divided and reiterated the need to resume talks for the solution of the Cyprus problem.”

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 Colombia 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.