The
President of the Republic has a meeting
with
the US Secretary of State
The
President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, had a meeting
yesterday afternoon in New York with the US Secretary of State, Mr
John Kerry. The meeting, held in the residence of Cyprus’ Permanent
Representative to the UN, was attended, on behalf of the US
government, by, inter alia, the Assistance Secretary for European and
Eurasian Affairs, Ms Victoria Nuland, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr
Jon Finer, and the Senior Director for European Affairs, Mr Charles
Kupchan. On behalf of the Cyprus government, present at the meeting
were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ioannis Kasoulides, the
Government Spokesman, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, the Ambassador of the
Republic in Washington D.C., Mr George Chacalli, Cyprus’ Permanent
Representative to the UN, Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou, and the
Director of the Foreign Minister’s Office, Mrs Koulla Sofianou.
Speaking
to journalists following his meeting with the US Secretary of State
and asked to say if he was pleased with the meeting, President
Anastasiades said: “It was a totally productive and useful meeting
during which the focus was on the new phase of the process to resolve
the Cyprus problem and the need for a more active involvement and
exertion of pressure towards the country, which can influence so as
to have catalytic developments”.
The
interlocutors also discussed the protection of Cyprus’ sovereign
rights in its Exclusive Economic Zone and the economic situation of
the country, especially in light of the sanctions imposed on Russia.
“There
is a complete understanding of the positions; that doesn’t mean
that the issues of principle should be abandoned. At the same time,
we talked about the role that Cyprus can play in the region, and I
hope that if there are developments as Mr Kerry foresees, there will
possibly be a visit to Cyprus within the next weeks or the next few
months”, the President of the Republic also noted.
Invited
to say whether there were any plans by the US government to appoint a
special coordinator or a presidential envoy vis-à-vis the Cyprus
problem, President Anastasiades replied negatively, noting that
nevertheless Mr Kerry “expressed and reiterated the United States’
great interest in seeing progress in the Cyprus problem so that a
solution could be reached the soonest possible”.
Lastly,
asked if the US Secretary of State had any message from his recent
contacts with the Turkish leadership in Ankara, President
Anastasiades said: “He expressed the belief that Turkey means what
it says. Of course, this will become clear through specific actions.
That is why the role of the United States may be upgraded in order to
have such a stance and attitude, so as to reach tangible results this
time”.
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