Coordination between Cyprus and Greece is more important than ever due to the highly critical situation in the region, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday, welcoming Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides to the Maximos Mansion, just days before the arrival of UN Secretary-General António Guterres in Cyprus, from 27 to 29 July.
Mitsotakis stressed that Greece and Cyprus fully support initiatives aimed at achieving a meaningful resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus problem, always within the framework of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“This is a position from which Greece and Cyprus will never deviate”, he said.
President Christodoulides, in remarks before the meeting, said the aim of Guterres’ visit is to produce positive results, adding that there is political will and a clear strategy to create the conditions necessary for talks to resume from where they left off in the summer of 2017.
Welcoming the Cypriot President, who is paying a brief visit to Athens, Mitsotakis also referred to the recent rainfall and lower temperatures, saying they were welcome given the unprecedented wildfires affecting Spain and France. He said the situation highlighted once again the importance of the joint Greek-Cypriot initiative to strengthen the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, noting that Greece had already deployed two firefighting aircraft to assist Spain in tackling major fires near Madrid.
The Greek Prime Minister said the two leaders were meeting at “an extremely critical juncture,” pointing to what he described as the “drums of war” sounding once again across the wider region. He warned that a new escalation of hostilities could also affect the Red Sea, making close coordination between Athens and Nicosia more necessary than ever.
Referring to the Cyprus issue, Mitsotakis noted that the UN Secretary-General will visit Cyprus next week, the first such visit in nearly 20 years.
“We fully support your initiatives for a meaningful resumption of negotiations, always within the framework of the decisions of the United Nations Security Council,” he told President Christodoulides.
He added that the current diplomatic momentum coincides with the approaching end of Guterres’ term in office, creating a sense of urgency if genuine progress is to be achieved.
“Now is the time to explore the possibility of turning this into reality,” he said, while reaffirming Greece’s longstanding support for Cyprus.
“Always know that Greece stands by Cyprus in practice, and we will continue to support you personally during the difficult and demanding discussions ahead next week”, Mitsotakis said.
For his part, President Christodoulides said the region is facing a difficult period and expressed hope that decisions would be taken to avoid further escalation, which would affect both Europe and the wider region.
At the same time, he described the current period as a critical moment for the Cyprus issue after many years of diplomatic stagnation.
He said the increased international engagement was the result of the strategy pursued by the Cypriot government and its political will, noting that Guterres’ arrival in Cyprus on Monday evening reflects renewed international interest.
President Christodoulides also highlighted the growing involvement of the European Union, saying it is now widely recognised that the Cyprus problem is a European issue. He referred to the appointment of European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto as the Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, describing it as a clear indication of the European Commission’s commitment to supporting efforts toward a settlement.
The Cypriot President thanked Mitsotakis for the opportunity to exchange views ahead of Guterres’ visit.
“Our objective is for the Secretary-General’s visit to produce positive results. We have the political will and a clear plan to create the conditions for negotiations to resume from where they were interrupted in the summer of 2017, always within the UN framework and in line with the principles, values and legal order of the European Union”, he said.
President Christodoulides also referred to Friday’s meeting between the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Angela Holguín, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
“We have received an initial briefing. We will discuss all these developments so that, through our common course, we can achieve our goal-not only the resumption of negotiations but, after 52 years since the Turkish invasion and occupation, finally a positive outcome leading to the reunification of Cyprus”, he said.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied the island’s northern third. Repeated UN-led efforts to reunify the island have failed to produce a settlement, with the last formal round of negotiations collapsing at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in 2017.
The UN Chief will host the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhman, at his Good Offices Mission inside the UN Protected Area, on Wednesday, 29 July, after separate meetings with the leaders and a joint private dinner the previous day.