Greece encourages the UN Secretary General to make further efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, always within the framework of the UN Security Council Decisions, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has said. He was speaking after his meeting with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the UN on Thursday, where he announced the Greek candidacy for the election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2025-26 term. Apart from the Greek candidacy, Dendias said that they discussed with the UN chief a broader set of issues, including Cyprus and the potential for a new initiative there, following Nikos Christodoulides’ election as President of the Republic of Cyprus. He also said that they discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Eastern Mediterranean as well as a range of issues on environmental protection and women’s rights. Asked if Guterres made any reference to the appointment of an envoy, Dendias pointed to the visit to Cyprus by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo. “The Secretary-General awaits her report before consulting about the next steps” he added. Dendias also said that Guterres welcomed Greece’s candidacy without being able to take a position on the matter. As CNA learns, Dendias and Guterres also spoke about the role of Greece in the Western Balkans while the two men also discussed how much the climate has changed in Greek-Turkish relations after the earthquakes. Diplomatic sources point to a “new reality” in bilateral relations, following the earthquakes in Turkey, which the Greek side wants to enhance and maintain until the end of the electoral cycle in both countries, giving the opportunity to the two governments that will emerge to have a fresh start. The same sources point out that Greece hopes that the improved climate in relations between Greece and Turkey may also play a role for a new effort as regards the Cyprus issue. Later, the Greek Foreign Minister attended an event for the presentation of the Greek candidacy for the UN Security Council. At the event, two eminent Greek scientists addressed 350 American diplomats and members of the UN, Eliza Konofagou, professor of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at Columbia University and Konstantinos Daskalakis, professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency