Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos has held a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and called for the immediate resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus settlement and the appointment of a special envoy, the Cypriot Press and Information Office reported on Wednesday
ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2023) Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos has held a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and called for the immediate resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus settlement and the appointment of a special envoy, the Cypriot Press and Information Office reported on Wednesday.
"The foreign minister mentioned the urgent need to resume the UN-brokered negotiations and the importance of appointing an envoy on the Cyprus issue. He stressed the catalytic role which a more active participation of the European Union could play in all efforts," the office said in a statement.
Kombos held a meeting with Guterres on Tuesday and informed the UN chief about the initiative of Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to resume negotiations on the Cyprus issue, the document read. Kombos assured Guterres of Nicosia's readiness to resolve the issue based on the principles of a bi-zonal, bicommunal federation and political equality, the statement added.
Kombos added that any attempt to create a fait accompli would have "very negative consequences" for the prospects of resuming negotiations on the matter, according to the office.
The island of Cyprus has been de facto divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded it to support the Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was unilaterally declared in 1983 and is diplomatically recognized only by Ankara.
Tensions around the island escalated again on June 12, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his first overseas trip to the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus after his reelection in late May. The Cypriot Foreign Ministry condemned Erdogan's visit, saying that it was a "blatant violation of relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council."
