Concessions needed, but solution would lead to stability, says French official

FRANCE on Friday expressed its support in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem during a visit by the State Secretary for European Affairs, Harlem Désir who met in Nicosia with Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides.

The French minister was earlier received by President Nicos Anastasiades. He also had a separate meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

Speaking through an interpreter, after his meeting with Kasoulides, the French official said that the Cyprus problem needed concessions but the solution and the reunification of the island would lead to stability and security in the region.

Desir congratulated the two leaders as well as the negotiators of the two sides on the resumption of the peace talks under the aegis of the UN, stressing that efforts to find a solution must continue, within the framework of a federation that would provide security in the region.

He also praised the level of bilateral relations between Cyprus and his country and expressed his gratitude for Cyprus’ solidarity, following the terrorist attacks in France but also for strategic cooperation between the two countries to fight terrorism, in the framework of which Nicosia has given permission for the use of the Andreas Papandreou military air base in Paphos.

Kasoulides said that the visit outlined the interest of France in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. France, he added, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, had always had a steady and constructive stance towards Cyprus.

Referring to the situation in Ukraine, Kasoulides congratulated France on its contribution to the Minsk agreement, adding that the implementation of this agreement provided the only hope to end a conflict.

The two men also discussed terrorism and Kasoulides said that they had the opportunity to reiterate their strong condemnation of the terrorist attacks on French territory.

During the meeting they also exchanged views on regional issues. Kasoulides expressed Cyprus’ support for the upcoming Climate Conference to be held in Paris in the autumn.

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.