Athens: Foreign Affair Minister of Greece reiterated on Friday to his Cypriot counterpart the country's unwavering support for the reunification of Cyprus on the basis of a just and viable solution to the Cyprus issue on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the second phase of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The two Foreign Ministers were speaking during a telephone conversation.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the discussion focused on current regional developments, as well as issues relating to trilateral cooperation frameworks in the Eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, it said, on the occasion of today's 52nd anniversary of the second phase of the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Greek Foreign Minister reiterated Greece's unwavering support for the reunification of Cyprus on the basis of a just and viable solution to the Cyprus issue.
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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.