Nicosia: Our overall strategy is to substantially upgrade the Republic of Cyprus to face internal and external challenges, said President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides in an interview with 'Phileleftheros', noting that all the Government's actions serve the great goal of resolving the Cyprus problem.
According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides emphasized that the Government's strategy aims at significantly upgrading the Republic of Cyprus to confront challenges that cannot be addressed independently. He stressed that all governmental actions are geared towards the ultimate objective of resolving the Cyprus issue.
The President clarified that diplomatic moves related to foreign policy do not hinder the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem. He reaffirmed that political equality, as per UN resolutions, remains unchallenged by the Republic of Cyprus, although it was previously questioned by the former Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, who equated it with sovereign equality.
In response to the new Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman's comments on political equality, Christodoulides highlighted that governance is one of the six chapters crucial to resolving the Cyprus issue. He expressed hope that discussions would resume without conditions, noting that governance is vital for Turkish Cypriots, while security and guarantees are significant for Greek Cypriots.
The Greek Cypriot side's willingness to engage in talks remains unaffected by Cyprus' Presidency of the Council of the EU, he assured. Furthermore, Christodoulides mentioned that there are no signs of US intervention in the Cyprus issue, and discussions with the US are part of broader regional dialogues.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following Turkey's invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite numerous UN-led peace talks, a resolution has been elusive due to persistent Turkish resistance. The latest negotiations, held in 2017 at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ended without agreement. In 2025, the Secretary-General hosted informal meetings in Geneva and New York, with further discussions anticipated soon.