The US stands committed to peace in Cyprus and a solution in line with UN Security Council resolutions, US Ambassador in Nicosia John Breslow, has stressed.
According to a post on social media of the US Embassy in Nicosia, Breslow held a meeting on Monday with UNSG’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin.
“Pleased to meet with the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Cyprus Maria Holguin. Always valuable to hear her perspective on the way forward” he said.
The US Ambassador stressed that “we stand committed to peace and a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality for all Cypriots in line with UNSC resolutions.”
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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.