New Greek foreign minister invites Cyprus counterpart for talks

Newly appointed Foreign Minister of Greece Dora Bakoyiannis has invited the Cyprus foreign minister George Iacovou for talks in Athens, and has said that the Cyprus questin and Greco-Turkish relations will be among her priorities as foreign minister.

Bakoyiannis replaced Petros Molyviatis on Monday after a cabinet reshuffle.

Speaking during a ceremony, Bakoyiannis said that Greece has the potential of being a strong regional power that will be appreciated by all and will be an important factor in the process of European integration.

“On the basis of this new influence and power, priority will be given to the major pending issues we face, first of all the Cyprus question and of course the progress of Greco-Turkish relations and developments in the broader region of the Balkans”, she said.

The outgoing Molyviatis referred to the Cyprus problem and to the failed referendum on the UN plan to reunite the island, saying “we gave the potential to the Cypriot people to decide freely for their fate, without negative repercussions either for Cyprus or for Greece. We continued to improve Greco-Turkish relations and we made Greco-Turkish issues Euro-Turkish ones.”