President Nikos Christodoulides held a phone call with new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham today, with the Cyprus problem, UK-Cyprus bilateral relations and regional developments all on the agenda.
The two leaders agreed to hold their first face-to-face meeting later this month, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week.
According to a written statement from the government spokesman, President Christodoulides warmly congratulated Burnham on taking up his new role and wished him every success.
During the call, the two leaders discussed the historic and multifaceted relationship between Cyprus and the UK, which in recent years has entered a particularly close and substantive phase, and touched on the significant prospects for deepening cooperation further in key areas of mutual interest.
On the Cyprus problem, Christodoulides reiterated that resolving the issue remains his top priority, and briefed the British Prime Minister on the ongoing efforts of the UN Secretary-General, stressing the importance of the current window of opportunity for restarting substantive negotiations within the agreed framework.
The statement noted the crucial role the UK can play in this effort — as a guarantor power and permanent member of the UN Security Council — in helping restart the negotiating process from where it was left off.
