President ready to resume Cyprus talks

The readiness and the will of the Greek Cypriot side to resume negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem was conveyed by President Nicos Anastasiades to the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Asia and the Americas, Miroslav Jenča, during a meeting that took place on Tuesday morning at the Presidential Palace.

In his statement after the meeting, Jenča said he had a "very frank, very open and constructive discussion" with the President, adding that "the United Nations remains committed to continuing its support to the sides in search for a solution to the Cyprus issue".

"I would also like to reiterate the words of the UN Secretary-General that it is very important to create a conducive environment to find a settlement and avoid any unilateral steps that might hamper those efforts," the UN official concluded.

It is noted that on Tuesday afternoon, the UN Assistant Secretary-General will also have a meeting with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Ersin Tatar.

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.