President engages European Commission on Gaza corridor proposal

Nicosia's consultations regarding the proposal for a humanitarian corridor from Cyprus to Gaza are at an advanced stage, President Nikos Christodoulides said Monday announcing that tomorrow he will also have contact with the President of the European Commission on the matter.

Speaking to the press, he said that several EU member states have already approached Cyprus, recalling that the Foreign Minister was in Jordan and Palestine for contacts on the issue. He said that “we are also in contact with the Israeli government and we hope that there will be developments in this direction in the near future”.

The President noted once again that the Republic of Cyprus is the member state of the European Union that is in close proximity to the region with excellent relations with all states. He said that this initiative was revealed when he was in Cairo and Israel adding that it was welcomed by the EU. The President also noted that we have informed the US government and we hope that it can be implemented soon.

When asked if Israel is positive, he replied that when he informed the Israeli Prime Minister, he was not negative for such a perspective but he asked for more details and we briefed him on it.

In another question about the appointment of an envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Cyprus issue, he reminded that we gave our approval the previous week and hoped that other interested parties will also give their consensus so that the SG will proceed this week to announce the name of this personality.

Regarding the visit of the UN Undersecretary General Jean Pierre Lacroix to Cyprus, he said that the visit of such a high-ranking official from the UN is important. He went on to say that the resumption of Cyprus peace talks is not exclusively his area of responsibility, but we will certainly touch on that issue as well. He also said that he is probably coming to see how the implementation of the Pyla understanding is coming along.

The President also said that he has no information on the position of the Turkish Cypriot side on the appointment of an envoy and that "we will wait to see from the announcements of the Secretary General".

According to an understanding that has been reached for Pyla, a single urban development area will be created, which will ensure the harmonious coexistence of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in the area of Pyla and, will include, among other things, a large area of residential development, the paving of a road leading towards Troulloi village, the creation of photovoltaic parks and the expansion of the urban use area of the village.

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.