Cyprus and Greece Temper Expectations Ahead of UN General Assembly

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides are set to meet today at the Maximos Mansion in Athens to coordinate their approach for the New York meetings. Both sides believe only an unexpected development could restart efforts to resolve the long-standing dispute.

Speaking at an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of diplomat Yiannos Kranidiotis’s death, President Christodoulides emphasised that the current situation in Cyprus “carries very serious risks”. He reiterated that Cyprus would attend UN meetings “with the expectation of intensifying efforts for the next step and restarting on the basis of the agreed framework”.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis highlighted the importance of recent European Council conclusions, which call for active EU participation in all stages of resolving the Cyprus issue. “We have a small optimism for the restart of the talks,” Gerapetritis said while insisting that any solution must adhere to UN Security Council resolutions.

Both leaders praised Kranidiotis’s role in Cyprus’s EU accession process. Christodoulides called him a “decisive” figure in making Cyprus’s case understood in international decision-making centres, while Gerapetritis described Kranidiotis as the “architect of Cyprus’s European path”.

Source: In-Cyprus