Anastasiades says UN did not put out feelers about envoy

PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades said on Thursday that the United Nations Secretariat did not put out feelers for sending an emissary to Nicosia specifically from June 9 to 12.

He was responding to earlier reports, which citing a UN source said that the international organization had sounded out the two sides in Cyprus for sending Jane Holl Lute to the island on those dates.

“No. What happened, and this is well known, is that we were sounded out as to whether we consented to the appointment of a special envoy who would explore the terrain…so that the UN Secretary General would decide on whether to call a new conference on Cyprus.”

Anastasiades was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event taking place at the Russian embassy to celebrate the National Day of Russia.

To date, Turkey has not given the nod to Lute’s appointment.

Also on Thursday, Anastasiades attended an event at the High Commission of the United Kingdom celebrating the birthday of Queen Elizabeth.

In his address, the president spoke of the ‘close ties’ between the two nations and their peoples.

On the Brexit negotiations, he stated:

“Cyprus is part of the consultations and process currently underway. To this end, I take this opportunity to reiterate our sincere commitment to support the efforts in establishing a mutually beneficial future partnership between the EU and UK, as well as to work closely with Her Majesty’s Government towards ensuring that our two countries forge an even closer and reinforced bilateral relation.”

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.