Anastasiades has impromptu exchange with Guterres

President Nicos Anastasiades on Thursday told United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Nicosia is ready and willing to continue ‘supporting’ UN efforts to restart a new talks process aimed at reunifying the island.

Anastasiades and the UN chief had an impromptu brief exchange as the former was walking to the podium to deliver his address to the General Assembly.

According to government sources, Anastasiades told Guterres: “We wish to continue, to support your efforts.”

To which Guterres replied: “Yes, and as you know I am always optimistic.”

Following his address to the UN body, Anastasiades held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov is said to have communicated Russia’s desire to hold future discussions with Cyprus on cooperation on both the bilateral and regional levels.

On the natural gas dispute between Cyprus and Turkey, the Russian foreign minister welcomed Anastasiades’ proposal that a portion of the proceeds from hydrocarbons be diverted to the Turkish Cypriots.

In the evening Anastasiades attended and addressed the 2019 Annual Testimonial Dinner of the Federation of Cypriot American Organisations.

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.