President Nikos Christodoulides will travel to London on Monday, at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, with whom he is expected to discuss ways of further strengthening bilateral relations, regional issues with an emphasis on the Middle East, as well as the Cyprus problem.
According to a written statement by Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, the meeting, which will be the first bilateral one since Starmer taking office, “is of particular importance as it comes at a time when relations between the two countries have been significantly strengthened and have entered a new constructive trajectory.”
As stated, the meeting between the two leaders will take place at 16:45 local time (18:45 Cyprus time) and will be followed by expanded talks.
According to the Government Spokesperson, President Christodoulides and Prime Minister Starmer are expected to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, regional issues and particula
rly developments in the Middle East, while in this context the important contribution to humanitarian aid in the region will be discussed, both through the Amalthea maritime corridor initiative to provide humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza, as well as through the Estia plan, for the implementation of which close coordination between Cyprus and the United Kingdom, as noted, has been crucial.
Letymbiotis adds that President Christodoulides will brief the British Prime Minister on the MED9 Summit held in Cyprus on 11 October, attended by the King of Jordan at the invitation of President Christodoulides, during which the situation in the region and actions that can be taken to de-escalate the crisis were largely discussed.
It is further noted that during the meeting President Christodoulides “will have the opportunity to discuss at length with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom the latest developments in the Cyprus problem, particularly in view of the joint meeting with the leader
of the Turkish Cypriot community Ersin Tatar and the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on 15 October at the United Nations Headquarters”.
In particular, it is stated that the President of the Republic will inform the British Prime Minister about the initiatives taken by the Republic of Cyprus since the assumption of office by the present administration towards the resumption of negotiations, as well as regarding the outcome of the meeting with the UN Secretary General at the UN General Assembly.
The President will be accompanied in London by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, the Government Spokesperson, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, and Director of the President’s Diplomatic Office, Doros Venezis.
After the meeting, President Christodoulides will depart to New York, in view of the joint meeting with the UN Secretary General and the Turkish Cypriot leader, following an invitation by Antonio Guterres.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey in
vaded 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.
Source: Cyprus News Agency