Cyprus is approaching a “breakthrough” in the decades-long negotiations, UK Foreign Minister Philip Hammond has said.
Speaking to reporters in Athens, he said that Britain was prepared to relinquish its role as guarantor if both communities wished.
“I’ve made several visits to Cyprus over the last few months, meeting members of both communities, and I am optimistic that we may be on the brink of a breakthrough in resolving this dispute”, the British minister said.
On Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country would fulfil its responsibilities to ensure that the Cyprus talks would conclude successfully this year.
Hammond said that Britain would do everything in its power to see a sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem.
He said, “If the two communities in Cyprus agree a model that … requires Britain to play no role, we will be quite happy to play no role. If the model they develop requires Britain to play a role, then we are happy to consider playing any role the two communities ask us.”
Cyprus Mail
