UK support ‘comprehensive, just and lasting’ resolution to Cyprus problem

The UK supports a “comprehensive, just and lasting resolution of the Cyprus problem,” a British government statement said ahead of unofficial talks that were to commence yesterday in Geneva.

“[The] talks offer an opportunity to restart negotiations aimed at delivering a fair and lasting solution to the Cyprus issue, and we hope that all parties approach them with creativity and flexibility,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

“The UK is a strong supporter of a comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the Cyprus issue which remains key to resolving wider tensions in the region.”

According to Anadolu, the UN-led unofficial Cyprus conference was attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, and foreign ministers of three guarantor countries – Turkey, Greece, and the UK.

The Turkish side was expected to set out a model of a solution at the talks in Geneva in which the two states will cooperate on the island on the basis of sovereign equality.

READ: UK can help deliver two-state solution in Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot president says

No details of the outcome of the first day of talks have been revealed.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

The island has been divided since 1964 when ethnic attacks forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation led to Turkey’s military intervention as a guarantor power. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded in 1983.

The Greek Cypriot administration, backed by Greece, became a member of the European Union in 2004, although most Greek Cypriots rejected a UN settlement plan in a referendum that year which had envisaged a reunited Cyprus joining the EU.

The 5+1 meeting will conclude on 29 April.