FM holds bilateral contacts, takes part in high level meetings in NY

Foreign Affairs Minister Constantinos Kombos, who is accompanying President Nikos Christodoulides at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, had a series of bilateral meetings with counterparts from Montenegro, Georgia, Ghana and Monaco.

He also met with Union for the Mediterranean Secretary General and took part in high-level meetings. 

In a press release issued on 20 September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Kombos attended on the morning of 20 September the official opening of the UN General Assembly and accompanied President Christodoulides during his bilateral contacts with state leaders and other officials. 

During his meeting with the Montenegro Prime Minister, who is also acting as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dritan Abazovic, the two sides' commitment to further deepen bilateral relations and cooperation in international fora was confirmed.  

Kombos, the press release reads, "reiterated Cyprus' support of Montenegro's accession course and briefed his counterpart on recent developments in the Cyprus problem and the efforts undertaken by our side for a resumption of talks."

In his meeting with Georgia's Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, the two countries expressed "commitment in matters of respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states on the basis of international law was reaffirmed."

"The cooperation between Cyprus and Ghana, both at a bilateral and a multilateral level, was the focus of a meeting Kombos had with Ghana Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey," the press release continues.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs briefed his counterpart on recent developments in the Cyprus problem and expressed the country's support for a deepening of relations between the EU and Ghana, it says.

During his meeting with Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean Nasser Kamel, the two men reviewed relations between Cyprus and the organisation and "discussed ways to further deepen and expand the cooperation."

The Foreign Affairs Minister concluded his bilateral contacts late in the afternoon with Isabelle Berro-Amadei, Foreign Affairs Minister of Monaco, with whom "they discussed matters of mutual interest which have to do with bilateral relations and international developments."

In this context, Kombos referred to Prince Albert's contribution to environmental protection and in promoting sustainable development, underlining Cyprus' willingness to promote bilateral cooperation in these areas.

The press release continues noting that the Foreign Affairs Minister took part in a trilateral meeting with Ministers of Greece and Israel, a meeting with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Hellenic-American Leadership Council (HALC) in the presence of Greek Foreign Affairs Minister. 

He also took part in a Ministerial Meeting to mark the 25th anniversary from the adoption of the Rome Statute on the foundation of the International Criminal Court, which was hosted by German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock, it concludes.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

(Source: CNA)