Nicosia reminds Europe of unresolved Cyprus issue

President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides has stressed the need for the member states of the Council of Europe to not forget that the Cyprus problem remains unresolved adding that the current status quo cannot be accepted.

A press release by the Presidency says that the President participated on Wednesday in the general debate of the Summit of the heads of state and government of the Council of Europe entitled "United for Europe". The Summit is taking place in Iceland.

President Christodoulides stressed the need for the member states to not forget that the Cyprus problem remains unresolved and that the status quo can under no circumstances be considered an acceptable solution. He also noted the significant impact of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the monitoring of their implementation by the Council of Europe.

He stressed his readiness and determination to make every possible effort towards the solution of the Cyprus issue and pointed out the historic role that the CoE member states can play in this effort, a role that stems from History itself and the mission of the Council of Europe, he said.

He also welcomed the Declaration to be adopted by the Summit, saying that it reaffirms the commitment of the Member States to safeguarding the fundamental principles and values of the Council of Europe, but also demonstrates our determination to strengthen the Council in its decisive role in effectively addressing current and future challenges.

Meanwhile, President Christodoulides also signed the Political Declaration of Support for the Expanded Partial Agreement on the Register of Damage which is an annex to the Political Declaration adopted during the Summit.

On the sidelines of the Summit, the President of the Republic held a series of bilateral meetings, ia with Permanent Representative of the USA in New York, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashili, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric and Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abel.