Nicosia: House President Annita Demetriou expressed on Monday her appreciation for Spain’s principled stance and longstanding support to efforts aiming to resolve the Cyprus problem during a meeting with Spain’s Ambassador to Cyprus, Gabriel Ferran Carri³n, held on the occasion of the completion of his term, according to a press release by the House of Representatives.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Demetriou thanked Carri³n for the excellent cooperation between the House of Representatives and the Embassy of Spain, noting the strengthening of Cyprus-Spain interparliamentary relations during his tenure, the press release said. She highlighted the ‘highly successful official visit’ to Cyprus last January by the President of Spain’s Congress of Deputies and the Vice President of the Spanish Senate.
The House President, it added, also expressed her appreciation for Spain’s consistent support to efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue, reaffirming the commitment of the Greek Cypriot side to the resumption of substantive negotiations in line with international law, UN resolutions, and European principles and values.
‘Referring to the unstable geopolitical environment, particularly in the Middle East, Demetriou stressed that the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union represents an important opportunity to highlight Cyprus’ role as a pillar of security and stability, and as a bridge for enhanced dialogue and cooperation between the EU and countries of the region’, it added.
On his part, Ambassador Carri³n spoke of the friendly relations between the two countries, which, he noted, span a broad field of cooperation rooted in their shared Euro-Mediterranean identity, common challenges, and mutual willingness to deepen bilateral collaboration based on solidarity and reciprocal support, the announcement said. He reaffirmed Spain’s steadfast support for efforts to resume talks aimed at resolving the Cyprus problem, the press release added.
The two officials also exchanged views on the migration issue, underscoring the need for a holistic and collective EU-level approach based on fair burden-sharing and solidarity toward frontline states, such as Spain and Cyprus.
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.