Nicosia has described the forthcoming visit of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Cyprus as important and meaningful.
 
Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that this is an important and meaningful visit during which the two sides will discuss issues regarding the further enhancement of the bilateral relations between the Republic of Cyprus and the US, they will exchange views on the recent regional developments and Nicosia’s initiatives in the Eastern Mediterranean, and will discuss about the state of affairs as regards the Cyprus problem and the efforts to resume the negotiations from where they were suspended in Crans-Montana.
 
“We will have the opportunity during the visit to discuss how, through concrete actions, bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and the US is further enhanced in all fields, on the basis of a positive approach,” Christodoulides noted.
 
Moreover, he said that “we will have the opportunity to exchange views on the regional developments during a period of intense provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean,” and that during the talks with Pompeo they will discuss about the regional cooperation schemes that Cyprus and Greece have developed with countries in the region.”
 
At the same time, the Foreign Minister said, we will exchange views about “how the US government can assist to terminate Turkey’s illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, something which, among others, will allow the resumption of the negotiations on the Cyprus problem from where they were suspended in Crans-Montana.”
 
In a press release issued on Monday, the State Department announced that Pompeo will travel to Kyiv, Ukraine; Minsk, Belarus; Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; and Nicosia, Cyprus from January 3-7.

Cyprus will be the last country the US Secretary of State will visit on January 7.

According to the State Deparment`s press release, Pompeo will meet with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides "to reaffirm the robust US - Republic of Cyprus relationship." 

While in Nicosia, the press release continues, "the Secretary will also meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Akinci." 

"The Secretary will reaffirm to leaders of both communities continued U.S. support for UN-facilitated Cypriot-led efforts to reunify Cyprus as a bizonal, bicommunal federation in line with UN Security Council Resolutions," 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.

CNA - Maria Koniotou