US ‘is rooting for’ leaders to succeed

Outgoing US Ambassador John Koenig on Thursday said his government fully supported the current peace process and urged President Nicos Anastasiades to press ahead despite any bumps along on the way.

“All of us are rooting for you to push ahead towards peace, and keep going even if you meet with temporary setbacks,” Koenig said at an early July 4 reception organised by the US Embassy to celebrate American Independence Day.

“This past year has certainly had its ups and downs, including in the Cyprus peace process,” Koenig said.

“Now we see a new and positive energy, thanks to the extraordinary commitment and efforts of the two Cypriot leaders – you, Sir, and your Turkish Cypriot partner Mustafa Akinci – and with the strong support of civil society and the United Nations.

“There may be times when the settlement talks seem as rough… We will be there cheering you on.  More than that, I promise that America will always be by your side as you and Mr. Akinci work toward peace, toward a united Cyprus.”

Highlighting the improved ties between the two nations, and turning to Anastasiades, Koenig said that under the current Cypriot administration “cooperation between our two countries has attained a new, strategic quality.”

Koenig, posted here in 2012, has landed himself in hot water more than once. In March, he asked for his Twitter followers’ opinion on Anastasiades’ highly publicised official visit to Russia, which coincided with the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

“What do people in #Cyprus think about the week in Russia as seen from here? Anastasiades visit and statements, #Nemtsov assassination?” Koenig tweeted.

This sparked public outcry as it was seen as an attempt to link the visit with the murder, and Koenig was forced to issue a statement clarifying this was never his intent.

Koenig caused more consternation last month, when during an open discussion at the University of Cyprus he said he did not regard the Cyprus problem as one of invasion and occupation.

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.