Newsroom / CNA
The government of the Republic of Cyprus has “an obligation to maximise the possibility of going back to the negotiating table” on the Cyprus issue, Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos told an audience of UK politicians and representatives of the UK Cypriot community on Tuesday evening.
He was referring to the new dynamic following the recent meeting in New York under the UN Secretary-General with President Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leader Tatar.
Speaking at an event at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Cyprus and the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, the Cypriot Foreign Minister said: “This government has taken every step that is available to create a momentum.”
He added: “There is an opportunity in terms of small steps that are taking place, and these are steps we didn’t have some time ago… We are ready to go back to the negotiating table today, not tomorrow.”
Kombos stressed that the Greek Cypriot side is willing “to discuss in depth anything that has to do with the Cyprus question, as long as this discussion is taking place on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions - There is nothing beyond that, there could be nothing beyond that.”
Foreign Minister Kombos also said that Cyprus is much more that the Cyprus question.
He referred to the importance that Cyprus can have for its allies, as demonstrated in the initiative for a humanitarian maritime corridor to Gaza, as well as the crucial role in evacuating citizens from Sudan, Israel and Lebanon. “It is another expression of our role in the region as a safe harbour especially in times of crisis,” noted the Minister.
He also made special reference to the close relation that Cyprus has with the USA and the UK.
Representing the Labour government, Hamish Falconer, Foreign Minister for the Middle East, hailed the close ties between the two countries, he expressed gratitude for the Cypriot role in the humanitarian maritime corridor to Gaza and the evacuation of citizens from countries in the region, and highlighted their shared position on Ukraine and the Middle East.
Then, on the Cyprus issue, he said: “I want to assure you that this Labour government is committed to supporting the UN to find a lasting settlement – an outcome that will safeguard the future of Cyprus and the region better than any peacekeeping operation. We believe that the existing UN framework, of a Bi-zonal, Bi-Communal Federation with political equality, remains the best available.”
In his speech the President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK Christos Karaolis described Cyprus as “a strong, reliable and stable ally to the UK, cooperating on a multitude of policy areas.”
Referring to the Cyprus issue, Karaolis noted: “At a time when the idea of territorial integrity and sovereignty are coming under threat across the globe, it is all the more important that the UK and international community hold Turkey to account. An invasion, is an invasion whether it happened in Cyprus 50 years ago, or Ukraine 2 years ago.”
“As British voters,” he concluded “our message to our government is clear: it is our expectation that the UK Government is not only present at Ministerial level in any upcoming guarantor meetings but, it must also be unequivocally clear that the only basis for a solution is the agreed UN framework.”
Andrew Mitchell, until recently Shadow Foreign Secretary for the Conservative Party tossed the cross-party support in the UK Parliament for Cyprus and the Honorary Chair of the APPG for Cyprus Sir Roger Gale pledged its members’ support for the Cypriots “for as long as it takes.”
The event was coordinated by the newly elected Chair of the APPG for Cyprus Bambos Charalambous MP, who sent his message of support to Cyprus by the said All-Party group.
The event was also attended by a number of British parliamentarians from various parties: Fabian Hamilton, Dan Tomlinson, Navendu Mishra, Mat Bishop, Steve Race, Martin Vickers, Naz Shah, Sarah Champion, Lord Truscott, Sarah Sackman, Tom Morrison, Andrew Rosindell, Christine Jardine, Mike Wood, Paulette Hamilton, Martin McCluskey, Gregory Stafford, Baroness Rosie Winterton, David Pinto-Duschinsky, Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, Baroness Sally Morgan, Gagan Mohindra.
Also, present was the newly appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary of the Conservative Party Prifti Patel.
