President Nicos Anastasiades has asked for Britain’s support for the resumption of peace talks, government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said on Thursday.
Speaking to members of the press in Sofia, Bulgaria after the EU-Western Balkans Summit, Prodromou said the Cyprus issue and efforts to resume talks were the key issues discussed by Anastasiades with the prime ministers of Britain and Greece on the sidelines of the summit.
According to Prodromou, Anastasiades had the opportunity to meet with British Prime Minister Teresa May, whom he briefed on the latest developments in Cyprus.
The president called for Britain’s support for the resumption of the negotiations.
Anastasiades and May also discussed issues relating to the EU-Brexit negotiations.
During the summit, Anastasiades conveyed Cyprus’ concern over the efforts made by Turkey to penetrate into the Western Balkans.
The EU, he said, is the only credible partner to guarantee peace, stability and prosperity of the peoples of the member states, adding that “no third force can deliver a promising future for the wider region and we all know that very well”.
“We are watching with concern – and we have to discuss the role of some states, such as Turkey,” he said, as well as the extent to which this role can destabilise the Western Balkans.
On the pretext of protecting minorities, he said, Turkey is in reality “threatening stability in the region”.
On the summit’s sidelines Anastasiades met with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the President of the European Investment Bank Werner Hoyer and the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Suma Chakrabarti.
Meanwhile in Cyprus the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar spoke of the need for the resumption of peace talks.
“The UN will do its part; the Guarantors must also step up to the plate; and the international community more broadly should remain supportive. But we must all take our lead from the communities themselves,” Spehar noted in her speech at a Unpol (UN Police) event.
She noted that “the United Nations believes there is still scope to think creatively and to act decisively about the way forward.
“The negotiations are a responsibility of the leaders, but the future of the island is a responsibility of all Cypriots. It will take both the leaders and women and men of Cyprus to pave the way ahead to a brighter, shared future for all.”
Spehar noted that UnPol facilitates the Joint Communications Room, which enables information to be shared on crimes, criminal matters and humanitarian cases, in parallel with the Technical Committee on Crime and Criminal Matters.
