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The President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides received today, at the Presidential Palace, the Rapporteur of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the Famagusta issue, Mr. Piero Fassino.
After the meeting, Government Spokesman Mr. Constantinos Letibiotis told reporters: "The meeting of the President of the Republic with the Rapporteur on the report on the Famagusta issue to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has been completed. As he mentioned to the President of the Republic, he is expected to deliver the report and this report is expected to be adopted by the Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe around the end of June. What the President of the Republic has conveyed again, after informing Mr Fassino of the contacts made by the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on her last visit to Cyprus, is our side's commitment to the resumption of negotiations and compliance with Security Council resolutions. It is well known that we consider the United Nations Security Council resolutions as the shield, the map and the compass for the progress to be made on the Cyprus problem."
Asked whether the President has asked the Council to be stricter with its member states that refuse to comply either with the resolutions or with the reports that the Council itself decides and receives, Mr. He replied. What the President of the Republic has conveyed to Mr Fassino is that the Council of Europe's support for the effort to resume negotiations within the agreed framework should also be made clear in this report."
Asked about the telephone conversation between Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the President of the Republic, the Government Spokesman said: "The President of the Republic had a telephone conversation with the Greek Prime Minister following yesterday's meeting between Mr Mitsotakis and the Turkish President. During the telephone conversation, the Greek Prime Minister briefed the President of the Republic on what was discussed during their private meeting and on the next steps to be taken in terms of progress on the Cyprus problem. What we and the Greek Prime Minister consider very important is the need for a joint meeting between the two leaders in the presence of Mrs Holguín, to discuss concerns, concerns, to find the next steps that can be taken for the resumption of negotiations. We will wait to see what the next steps are. After all, it is Mrs Holguín's visit to Greece, where she will have a meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister. We will continue to take initiatives that can make a positive contribution to this positive climate that we want to create for the resumption of negotiations."
Asked how he sees the next steps and whether there is anything that could mean developments, Mr. Letybiotis replied. We believe that there must be a will and a willingness to resolve the Cyprus problem. From our side, this will is clear, this will is clear and it is self-evident through the initiatives we are taking, through the practical initiatives we are taking, both through the announcement of the 14 measures to our Turkish Cypriot compatriots and through the positive message we have consciously sent as the Republic of Cyprus, but also as the European Union, through the latest conclusions of the European Council."
Asked how Ms. Holguín received the measures towards Turkish Cypriots expressed by our side and in a comment that she had said some things in her interview, indicating that she was surprised by this reaction on the part of Tatar for not participating in a trilateral meeting, the Government Spokesman said: "You understand that I cannot comment on behalf of Ms. Holguín. What she had indicated was her surprise at Mr Tatar's rejection of a joint meeting between the two leaders in her presence. It was something that the President had mentioned from the very first moment and had positioned himself and underlined the fact that if there was such a joint meeting, it would be in a positive direction. Unfortunately, so far this has not been possible. We believe that it is through dialogue that progress can be made. This is the first obvious step that should already have been taken. The 14 measures announced by the President of the Republic last January are another indication of our sincere intention, our sincere will, to create that positive climate that we believe can make a positive contribution. It is a measure that is in the right direction, as I am sure Mrs Holguín also believes."
Regarding the message of the leader of Hezbollah, who is called upon to support the Lebanese authorities, to open the maritime and non-maritime borders, and to let all the Syrian refugees it hosts on its territory leave for Cyprus, and asked whether this message calls into question or endangers the agreement that the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus have concluded with Lebanon, Mr. Letibiotis said: "It is a message which certainly ought to concern us and which we have very high on our priorities. It is for this reason that from the very first moment as the Republic of Cyprus we have been saying that the issue of the increased migratory flows we have seen in our country is primarily a European issue. Because what has been said in the call to which you refer is that Cyprus is the closest Member State to the European Union, which is the reality. That is why the President of the Republic himself took the initiative in good time and, together with the President of the European Commission, went to Lebanon a few weeks ago to present this package of financial support, which, among other things, includes support for the containment of migratory flows from Lebanon to Europe and particularly to Cyprus. We are in contact with the Lebanese authorities and we believe that through these contacts we will be able to manage it.
(AF/GC)
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