Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides said that in accordance with the usual practice of expanded meetings on Cyprus , which include the parties to the 1960 Treaties, he will represent – in his capacity as President – the Republic of Cyprus as a party to the said Treaties and, at the same time, he will also represent the Greek Cypriot community in the intercommunal aspects of the discussions.
In his televised message ahead of his trip to Geneva and his participation in the informal expanded meeting under the auspices of the UN, he said that we are ready and prepared to be constructive, to get to the essence, but also to achieve an outcome that will keep the process active.
“I am going to the meeting with absolute seriousness and with the aim of holding a substantive discussion that will pave the way for the resumption of negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the agreed framework, from where they were interrupted in Crans Montana in the summer of 2017,” he stressed. He also said that “we are ready and prepared to be constructive, guided by the acquis of the negotiations, to get to the substance, but also to achieve an outcome that will keep the process active.”
He said that in light of regional and international developments and the serious challenges to international peace and security and in the context of the upcoming expanded meeting in Geneva, the commitment to respect and defend International Law, the United Nations Charter, the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the principles and values of the European Union becomes even more imperative.
Moreover, he recalled that the position of the international community is that the only basis for resolving the Cyprus problem is the bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as defined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, with one sovereignty and international personality and one single citizenship, with its independence and territorial integrity guaranteed. ( Source: CNA)
