Nicosia: Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides held a telephone conversation on Thursday with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to discuss the latest developments in the Cyprus issue, ahead of the President's joint meeting later today with the Turkish Cypriot leader.
According to Cyprus News Agency, a written statement by Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis indicated that the call took place 'at a time when efforts to restart substantive negotiations are intensifying.' President Christodoulides briefed the Greek Prime Minister on current developments and the planned meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader, which is set to occur in the presence of the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy. The main objective is to create conditions conducive to resuming meaningful negotiations from the point where they were halted.
The leaders also addressed the necessity of convening an expanded meeting on the Cyprus issue as soon as possible. Nicosia and Athens remain in absolute coordination, moving steadily toward their unchanged goal of resolving the Cyprus issue based on UN Security Council Resolutions, the principles and values of the European Union, and the EU acquis, the statement emphasized.
President Christodoulides further updated Mitsotakis on his two-hour meeting earlier today with the EU's Special Envoy for Cyprus, Johannes Hahn, which was attended by Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna. The discussions highlighted the EU's potential role as a decisive actor with the political and institutional tools to support both the resumption and meaningful progress of the negotiation process.
The statement emphasized that the EU's active involvement is not only a strategic choice of the Republic of Cyprus but also a recognition that resolving the Cyprus issue is a European matter tied to the Union's cohesion, stability, and security.