President Christodoulides to meet with British Prime Minister in London

President Nikos Christodoulides will have a meeting on the afternoon of 21 May with the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in London, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in a written statement.

President Christodoulides, who is in London for the 'Minds in Cyprus' talent repatriation campaign, is set to meet the UK Premier at 7.30pm (Cyprus time).

Issues related to Cyprus-UK relations, EU-UK ties in view of the Cyprus EU Presidency will be on the agenda, the Spokesperson said.

They will also discuss current regional and international developments and the President of the Republic will brief the British Prime Minister on the latest developments in the Cyprus issue, with emphasis on the recent appointment of Johannes Hahn as the European Union Special Envoy, as well as on his upcoming meeting with the UNSG Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin, Letymbiotis said.

This is the third meeting in a row between the President of the Republic and the British Prime Minister since the latter took office in July 2024, a fact that demonstrates the excellent level of bilateral relations between Cyprus and the United Kingdom, it is added.

Letymbiotis noted that today's meeting follows the historic visit Starmer paid to Cyprus in December 2024, the first by a British Prime Minister to Cyprus after 53 years.

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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

UN Secretary General announced that an informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format will be held at the end of July, following a similar meeting in Geneva, on March 17-18. The two sides agreed to proceed with a number of initiatives, involving the opening of crossing points, the creation of a Technical Committee on Youth and other initiatives in the buffer zone and throughout the island.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced in early May the appointment of María Angela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his Personal Envoy on Cyprus, who is tasked to reengage with the parties in order to work on next steps on the Cyprus issue and advise him. Holguín completed a previous assignment as Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus from January to July 2024.

The European Commission designated Johannes Hahn, a former European Commissioner, as Special Envoy for Cyprus to contribute to the settlement process, in close cooperation with Holguín.

(Source: CNA)