05/01/2021 16:13
Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides will discuss Cyprus developments, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and bilateral relations with Portugal, during a working visit in Lisbon, where he is meeting with his Portuguese counterpart.
An announcement by the Foreign Ministry says that Christodoulides departs Tuesday evening for Lisbon, and the working visit will take place on Wednesday, on the occasion Portugal’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.
During his visit, Christodoulides will have initially a tête-à-tête with his Portuguese counterpart, Augusto Santos Silva, to be followed by extensive consultations with the participation of the delegations.
Discussions will focus on bilateral relations and ways to deepen them further, the latest developments in the Cyprus issue, in light of the ongoing initiative of the UN Secretary-General, as well as important topics from the EU agenda, such as the pandemic, developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and EU-Turkey relations, cooperation in the framework of Med7 and the Southern Neighbourhood, migration and topics related to Portugal’s EU Presidency priorities.
The Ministers will speak to the press after their meeting.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest UN backed round of talks took place in the Swiss resort of Crans Montana but failed to yield any results.
Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, expressed their determination to positively respond to the UN Secretary-General’s commitment to explore the possibility to convene an informal five-plus-United Nations meeting, in a conducive climate, at an appropriate stage, the UN said following the two leaders first informal meeting on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.