US Secretary of State sees progress but also hurdles in Cyprus peace talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday he intended to visit Cyprus in the “in the not too distant future” to offer help in reaching a Cyprus solution.
He was speaking ahead of a meeting with Foreign Minister Ioannis, currently on a visit to the US, and US Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland.

“Cyprus has known its own share of terror and its own share of sacrifice and agony over the years,” said Kerry who devoted the first part of his statements to the terrorist attack in Orlando.

Referring to the Cyprus issues, he said that “we are working very, very hard with our friends in Cyprus to finally bring peace to that island”, reiterating US support to the efforts to solve the Cyprus` problem and recalling the visit he paid to the island.
Kerry said that there is progress in Cyprus and certain areas of the discussions where people believe they’ve reached some agreement. However, he noted that there are still some difficult hurdles to get over.

“And we will continue to work with our friends in Cyprus on all of the security issues, the economic issues, and clearly on the negotiations themselves in an effort to try to bring this 50-year conflict to the close that it deserves. And I look forward to traveling back there at some time in the not too distant future in order to try to be helpful,”he said.

Kasoulides expressed Cyprus` condolences for the attack in Orlando and solidarity in the fight against terrorists worldwide and thanked Kerry for his keen interest in Cyprus.

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.