Athens ready to contribute to efforts for Cyprus solution

Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias said that Athens is ready to contribute to the efforts by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a Cyprus settlement.

In an interview with Greek weekly Real, Dendias said that despite the positive step made during the informal meeting in Berlin on November 25 between Guterres and the two Cyprus leaders “the gunboat diplomacy implemented by Turkey is not helping to create the appropriate climate to convene an informal five-party meeting.”

In his interview, Dendias said he did not expect Turkey to act recklessly by causing any incident, since Ankara would be the one to lose in such a case.

He also told Real that Athens is ready to defend its national sovereignty and interests. We can do it alone, but we will not be alone, he said, adding that Greece’s allies and friends, both in the EU and outside the EU, will be at their side.

Dendias also said that Athens is in talks with Cairo for the delimitation of their maritime zones, and the two countries agreed to accelerate discussions for a mutually acceptable agreement on this matter.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hosted an informal dinner for Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, on November 25, in Berlin, to discuss the next steps regarding the Cyprus issue.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Guterres said he committed to explore with President Anastasiades, Akinci and the guarantor powers the possibility to convene an informal five party meeting on Cyprus “at an appropriate stage.”

 

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.