US Congressional Delegation visits Cyprus

A 9-member bipartisan delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives, headed by Ted Deutch (D-FL), the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, visited Cyprus this weekend.

The visit is part of a regional trip that also includes Israel, Qatar and Greece.

The Congressional delegation met with the Minister of Defense, Savvas Angelides; the Minister of Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Energy, Yiorgos Lakkotrypis; and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar.

They discussed strengthening bilateral security cooperation and expressed U.S. support for the Republic of Cyprus’ right to develop its natural resources.

The delegation encouraged efforts to resume negotiations on the Cyprus problem to forge a just and lasting settlement that would offer a prosperous and peaceful future for all Cypriots.

The US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee voted last month to advance a bill that would require the State Department to monitor Turkish violations in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone and bolster energy cooperation with Cyprus, Greece and Israel in the region.