Press Releases

The President of the Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, described the announcement made this evening by the Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General in Cyprus, Mr Colin Stewart, that the Secretary General will soon announce the appointment of an envoy for the Cyprus problem, as significant.

In statements he made to the Media on the sidelines of the reception held at Ledra Palace, hosted by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus, which was also attended by the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Ersin Tatar, the President of the Republic said: “The announcement made by Mr Stewart that the UN Secretary-General will soon – hopefully this week – officially announce the appointment of an envoy in Cyprus was significant.” He added that “We are ready on our part. We know very well what we aim for at the negotiation table; we know what our ultimate goal is, and we will do everything possible on our side to achieve this.”

When asked if the Cyprus problem was discussed during the conversation with Mr Tatar at the reception, the President of the Republic said: “Certainly, we discussed the Cyprus problem, among other things, but there was no negotiation. I reiterated to Mr Tatar my readiness, and I hope he will come to the negotiation table, to achieve what we want, which is the resumption of talks.

The common ground is there, defined by the UN resolutions, and I hope the talks will resume as soon as possible. For us, seeing what is happening in our region, there are no frozen conflicts; the status quo, over time, creates new realities. We see the problems that arise daily in the buffer zone, and we will do everything that is possible to lead us to reunification, to a solution of the Cyprus problem based on the agreed framework.”

(ASP)