Cyprus president speaks with Erdogan at NATO summit, stresses need for progress in talks
Cyprus’ president told NATO leaders meeting in Madrid that the division of the Mediterranean island is an “open wound” and failure to find a resolution “will pose a threat to peace and security in the East Med and Europe in general,” Nicos Anastasiades said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday night.
“Turkey should engage constructively in the effort to find a viable settlement, in accordance with international law,” he added.
The post came as government spokesman Marios Pelekanos told the Cyprus News Agency that Anastasiades also held a conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the summit.
During the brief encounter, the Cypriot president reportedly reiterated the republic’s readiness to resume reunification talks under the auspices of the United Nations and stressed that a resolution would benefit Cyprus and all Cypriots.
