EU Council President says Cyprus solution important for region

THE EU stands ready to provide all the advice and support possible to find a solution, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said yesterday.

Van Rompuy’s remarks came as President Demetris Christofias requested the EU President’s assistance in finding a Cyprus solution.

Van Rompuy who was visiting Cyprus in the framework of the preparation of the Informal EU Summit in February, had a working lunch with Christofias.

“I asked Mr Van Rompuy if the EU would support the Republic of Cyprus in its effort,” Christofias said during a news conference with the EU Council President.

Van Rompuy said that a settlement in Cyprus was important for the European Union as well. “It is about ending divisions in Europe and about stability in the region,” he said.

“A comprehensive, just and viable settlement of the Cyprus issue, in line with UN Security Council resolutions, would not only allow unification of Cyprus but also send a strong positive signal to the whole region,” he added.

Van Rompuy commended the leaders of the two communities for their courageous efforts and “strong and unabated commitment to work towards a solution”.

Recalling his personal experience, as former Prime Minister of Belgium, he said he was aware of how challenging it was to overcome the divisions of the past and build a new common future.

“We are fully aware that difficult issues are being discussed, but the expectation is high. We are convinced that all involved will take up their responsibilities in order to achieve the goal of reunification. The time is now ripe for courageous and forward-looking decisions for the benefit of all Cypriots, he said.

Van Rompuy said the EU was following the process very attentively and was ready “to provide all the advice and support possible to find a solution”.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.