According to Nicos Christodoulides, a spokesman for the government of Cyprus, the island nation is hopeful of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Greece yielding positive results for the never-ending process of the island’s reunification.
Briefing reporters after a meeting that was presided over by Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades and US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Cohen, Christodoulides revealed that the two were supposed to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci later that day. He added that the meeting went exceedingly well and discussed much about security, defense, bilateral relations, energy, and of course, the Cyprus issue.
The spokesman also said that this meeting has put a lot of attention on the upcoming meeting between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Erdogan – specifically on the discussion security and Cyprus reunification-related issues.
Speaking more on the Cyprus problem, Christodoulides said there was no fresh news from the US in this regard. The only hope here is for the upcoming meeting between the Greek prime minister and the Turkish president to yield results that are tangible and beneficial for the situation. In fact, as of now, this meeting is the only priority, especially considering the constantly-failing round of constant negotiations.
Notably, the most recent round of reunification talks, which took place at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana between June 28 and July 6 disintegrated due to disagreements on guarantees security and guarantees, with either side blaming the other for the collapse.