27/03/2017 09:22
Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides will have a meeting on Tuesday in Washington with the White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. United States Army lieutenant general, National Security Advisor, Herbert Raymond McMaster is expected to attend the meeting.
Christodoulides and Priebus had a discussion on issues of Cyprus interest during a dinner held at the Blair House on Thursday evening for the Greek Independence Day.
Christodoulides met on Friday with US Vice President Mike Pence`s adviser on foreign policy issues Ms Montgomery and with the National Security Council official responsible for Greece, Turkey and Cyprus Ms Culberston.
In statements to the press, Christodoulides underlined the importance attributed by the US Administration to the region of the Eastern Mediterranean, Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
He added that in this framework Cyprus is considered an important US partner in the Eastern Mediterranean and the trilateral meetings which have been established among the states of the region are considered particularly important in promoting cooperation and security in the area.
Referring to Turkey, the spokesman said he believes that Washington will wait to see the outcome of April`s referendum in Turkey, both as regards domestic politics as well as other issues such as Syria, Cyprus and the Kurdish issue.
With regard the US-Cyprus relations, he said that “there is a will to enhance our bilateral relations, mainly our economic and commercial ones, as well as on issues of energy and security.”
As regards the recent statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on the Cyprus Republic`s actions within its EEZ, Christodoulides said that as in the past the US considers that Nicosia has been exercising its sovereign rights which must be fully respected.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry press release said on Friday that Turkey expects "the Greek Cypriot side, which refuses to accept the Turkish Cypriots as politically equal partners on the island, to refrain from acting as though it were the sole owner of the island’s natural resources and to cease its hydrocarbon-related activities."
Referring to the Cyprus problem, the spokesman said that Americans, like Europeans, address any possible developments in the framework of domestic developments in Turkey and according to how the situation will be after April`s referendum.
Christodoulides will meet on Monday at the State Department with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Heffern and Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs covering Cyprus, Greece Jonathan Cohen.
The spokesman is traveling on Sunday from New York to Washington where he will attend on Monday a conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee during which he will speak at a discussion on the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the relations of Israel with the EU and issues concerning the states of the region.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. UN led talks between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities resumed in May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.
The talks were interrupted in mid February by the Turkish Cypriot side, which demands that a decision passed by the Cypriot Parliament relating to a 1950 referendum on union with Greece is revoked, claiming this indicates a shift in the Greek Cypriot side`s goal for a federal solution. The amendment provides that there will be a very brief reference one a year to the referendum at schools.
President Anastasiades has described the House decision as wrong and called on the leader of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, who walked out of the talks, to return to the negotiating table to discuss pending issues with a view to reach a mutually acceptable agreement to reunite the country.
Christodoulides and Priebus had a discussion on issues of Cyprus interest during a dinner held at the Blair House on Thursday evening for the Greek Independence Day.
Christodoulides met on Friday with US Vice President Mike Pence`s adviser on foreign policy issues Ms Montgomery and with the National Security Council official responsible for Greece, Turkey and Cyprus Ms Culberston.
In statements to the press, Christodoulides underlined the importance attributed by the US Administration to the region of the Eastern Mediterranean, Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
He added that in this framework Cyprus is considered an important US partner in the Eastern Mediterranean and the trilateral meetings which have been established among the states of the region are considered particularly important in promoting cooperation and security in the area.
Referring to Turkey, the spokesman said he believes that Washington will wait to see the outcome of April`s referendum in Turkey, both as regards domestic politics as well as other issues such as Syria, Cyprus and the Kurdish issue.
With regard the US-Cyprus relations, he said that “there is a will to enhance our bilateral relations, mainly our economic and commercial ones, as well as on issues of energy and security.”
As regards the recent statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on the Cyprus Republic`s actions within its EEZ, Christodoulides said that as in the past the US considers that Nicosia has been exercising its sovereign rights which must be fully respected.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry press release said on Friday that Turkey expects "the Greek Cypriot side, which refuses to accept the Turkish Cypriots as politically equal partners on the island, to refrain from acting as though it were the sole owner of the island’s natural resources and to cease its hydrocarbon-related activities."
Referring to the Cyprus problem, the spokesman said that Americans, like Europeans, address any possible developments in the framework of domestic developments in Turkey and according to how the situation will be after April`s referendum.
Christodoulides will meet on Monday at the State Department with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Heffern and Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs covering Cyprus, Greece Jonathan Cohen.
The spokesman is traveling on Sunday from New York to Washington where he will attend on Monday a conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee during which he will speak at a discussion on the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the relations of Israel with the EU and issues concerning the states of the region.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. UN led talks between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities resumed in May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.
The talks were interrupted in mid February by the Turkish Cypriot side, which demands that a decision passed by the Cypriot Parliament relating to a 1950 referendum on union with Greece is revoked, claiming this indicates a shift in the Greek Cypriot side`s goal for a federal solution. The amendment provides that there will be a very brief reference one a year to the referendum at schools.
President Anastasiades has described the House decision as wrong and called on the leader of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akinci, who walked out of the talks, to return to the negotiating table to discuss pending issues with a view to reach a mutually acceptable agreement to reunite the country.
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