The Republic of Cyprus is a valued partner of the United States, said State Secretary Marco Rubio in a written statement by which he congratulates the people of Cyprus for the 65th anniversary of the Republic’s independence.
The State Secretary also underlined that his country is committed to a Cypriot-led, UN-facilitated comprehensive settlement “to reunify the island as a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality for all Cypriots.”
He noted that the bilateral collaboration “increases commercial trade, combats illicit financial flows, and strengthens regional security allowing citizens of both our nations to prosper.”
“We are especially grateful for the Republic of Cyprus’s assistance in securing the safety of U.S. citizens in crisis zones, one of our highest priorities,” Rubio said.
“We are also committed to a Cypriot-led, UN-facilitated comprehensive settlement to reunify the island as a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality for all Cypriots,” he concluded.
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.
UNSG met with the two leaders President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, last week in New York city. A fresh informal meeting in an extended format on Cyprus will probably take place in November, following two such meetings that took place earlier this year in Geneva and New York. In the meantime his personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin is expected in Cyprus the next weeks to prepare the new meeting.