POLITICS: Theresa May believes Cyprus reunification is within touching distance

A lasting peace for divided Cyprus is within reach, and the British Government continues to work towards that goal, Prime Minister Theresa May said in a letter to MP Theresa Villiers and others.

In her letter, dated 12 June 12, May said: “Last summer in Crans-Montana, the two Cypriot leaders and three guarantor powers, supported by the UN Secretary General, came closer than ever before to reaching a settlement.”

 

“All sides demonstrated remarkable courage and commitment and all parties engaged with serious intent to reach a deal. I share both your disappointment that it was not possible to reach agreement and your assessment that the talks made important progress,” said May.

 

She pointed out that London “believes that a just and lasting settlement is within reach, and we continue to work towards that goal.”

 

“We recognise it will not be straightforward: all sides will need to build trust as they seek to re-start talks, and an agreement will require flexibility and willingness to compromise from all sides,” the UK Prime Minister argued.

 

“When we met on 17 April I discussed with President Anastasiades the steps he might take in pursuit of an agreement…while it is ultimately for the Cypriot communities to decide the next steps, we remain ready to support progress towards a settlement in any way we can.”

 

Repeated rounds of UN-sponsored peace talks have so far yielded no result over 44 years of Cyprus problem diplomacy.

The last round of UN-backed peace talks in July 2017, broke down in acrimony and there has been no movement since.