The period August-September 2016 is covered by the recent bi-monthly report of the American President on Cyprus to the Congress, the last one being prepared during the Obama Presidency.
The accompanying letter, signed by Acting Undersecretary of State for Legal Affairs Ann Norris, states that efforts under the auspices of the United Nations for a comprehensive settlement have intensified during this period, with leaders and negotiators continuing to make progress in talks on the settlement.
"The United States is committed to finding a just and lasting settlement that will reunite Cyprus as a bi-zonal bi-communal federation," said Norris.
The report notes that the President of the Republic of Cyprus and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiadis and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met formally three times in August and six in September and their talks focused mainly on issues related to property restoration, economic integration. , EU harmonization and governance / prefecture.
"Leaders and their negotiating teams have continued to make progress, further converging in these areas of negotiation," reads the Obama letter, prepared by the State Department on behalf of the president.
The report lists various bilateral contacts between US and Cypriot officials. On August 1, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for European Affairs, James Townsend, met in Washington with the Director General of the Ministry of Defense of Cyprus, Christos Malikkidis, and discussed issues of maritime and energy security in the south and . Mr. Malikkidis also discussed bilateral security issues with Assistant Secretary of State Mark Libby.
Reference is made to the telephone conversation he had on August 19 with the two leaders, Vice President Joe Biden, and he congratulated them on the progress they have made so far in the negotiations.
"The Vice President also expressed the hope that leaders would make significant further progress before heading to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September," the report said.
Reference is also made to Biden's visit to Turkey on August 23 to discuss US-Turkish bilateral relations.
"During the visit, the Vice President underlined the US support for the Cypriot-led negotiations and encouraged Turkey to continue to play a supportive role in the process."
On Vice President Biden's separate meetings with the two leaders, on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York on September 22, he wrote that "he promised strong American support to the leaders, as they continue to intensify their efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement. ».
He added that in the meeting with President Anastasiadis, the US Vice President "reaffirmed the strategic partnership between Cyprus and the US" and that he "looks forward to deepening cooperation in areas such as countering terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."
At the same time, he stressed to each leader that a reunited Cyprus will yield very significant benefits for both communities and regional security, stability and energy independence.
Joe Biden also discussed the Cyprus issue in separate meetings with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
"The US Vice President encouraged Greece and Turkey to continue to play supportive roles in the process," the report said.
Finally, reference is made to the leaders' joint meeting with the UN Secretary-General in New York on September 25, where he welcomed their joint commitment to step up efforts to find a just solution.
"The Secretary-General encouraged them by returning to the island to engage in the process with determination, courage and creativity," concludes President Obama's bi-monthly report on Cyprus.
Source: KYPE