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- Ελληνικά
There are three objectives of our side during the President's contacts in New York, President of the Republic Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, noting that the first concerns the creation of prospects for the resumption of talks, the second concerns energy issues and the third concerns the attraction of quality investments, mainly from the United States.
In a briefing to the media in New York today, the President of the Republic referred to the series of contacts he will have during his stay in New York and those to be held by Foreign Minister Dr. Constantinos Kombos, noting that these are aimed at three objectives set by the Republic of Cyprus.
The first, he said, concerns the Cyprus problem, expressing hope that the way will be paved for the appointment of an envoy by the United Nations (UN) Secretary General (SG) and the creation of prospects for the resumption of talks.
The second concerns energy, which will also be the focus of the meetings, given the circumstances at the European level in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the European Union's (EU) efforts towards energy decoupling and the creation of new corridors.
He added that, following what was agreed with the Israeli Prime Minister, decisions should be taken by the end of the year, noting that this is also the aim of his meetings with Exxon and Chevron, so that there can be developments within 2024.
The third objective, President Christodoulides said, concerns the effort to attract quality investments, mainly American ones.
He also referred to the Foreign Minister's many bilateral contacts with his counterparts, as well as to the trilateral meetings at the Foreign Minister level that he and his Greek counterpart will hold with Jordan, Israel and Egypt, with the aim of preparing similar meetings at the level of heads of state in the near future.
He also recalled the joint decision of Cyprus and Greece with Israel to include India in the cooperation mechanism.
He added that the next trilateral meeting with Jordan will take place in Cyprus before the end of 2023, and that a similar meeting with Egypt is also planned.
The President also said that the Republic of Cyprus will announce unilateral measures that will be beneficial for the daily life of Turkish Cypriots, noting that, depending on developments in New York, they will probably be announced soon.
When asked, the President of the Republic said that the measures concerning the Turkish Cypriot community were prepared after discussions our side had with personalities from the Turkish Cypriot community, with civil society and that they can be implemented.
In response to a question, he said that we are working with the US to attract investments mainly in specific sectors where there is interest from the US private sector.
In response to another question, the President said that he will have meetings with the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen, so that in their meetings with the UN Secretary General they will convey the EU's readiness in relation to the Cyprus problem.
He also said that the UN Secretary General's meeting with the Turkish President next Tuesday, which he said would determine the next steps of the Secretary General on the Cyprus issue, is of crucial importance.He reiterated that his own message is clear and concerns the appointment of an envoy by the Secretary General to explore the prospects for the resumption of talks.
He added that there may be data that does not rule out developments within a week or even later.
Asked if he is hopeful about the Cyprus issue, President Christodoulides said that he hopes for the creation of data that will allow us to be optimistic about the resumption of talks so that we can achieve our number one priority, the resolution of the Cyprus problem.
Asked whether the measures for the Turkish Cypriot community are related to the developments in New York, the President said that the measures have been processed and will be announced, adding that it is the timing of the announcement that depends on the developments.
Elsewhere, he also said that the meeting between the Greek Prime Minister and the Turkish President is also considered of great importance, noting that his own meeting with Mitsotakis will be held afterwards to examine the results of the Turkish President's meeting with the Greek Prime Minister.
He expressed the view, however, that the UN Secretary General's meeting with the President of Turkey is the most decisive in terms of how the situation regarding the Cyprus issue will evolve.
The President of the Republic pointed out that the current situation cannot be the solution to the Cyprus problem, noting that our side remains committed to the agreed framework, adding that the support of the international community to our positions is important.
Asked about the issue of holding a joint meeting with the UN Secretary General and the Turkish Cypriot leader, the President of the Republic said: "There is no time frame for the trilateral meeting, our will is given, possibly to be held now towards the end of the official week of the General Assembly or the SG may decide that it can be held at a later stage. I do not rule it out," he said.
On the issue of the Pyla, the President said that consultations and discussions with the UN are still ongoing and that there is agreement with the UN, noting that our goal is not to challenge the status of the buffer zone and not to create facts that would offer comparative advantages to the occupation regime.
(PM/EP)
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