[InTime News]
Developments in the Cyprus issue ahead of the upcoming five-party meeting in Geneva, as well as the need for increased European Union investment in defense, were key topics discussed during a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides in Athens on Saturday.
Mitsotakis highlighted the recent Special European Council in Brussels, where the 26 European leaders agreed to significantly boost defense spending to ensure Europe’s security and expressed near-unanimous support for Ukraine. He described the decisions as a vindication of Greece’s calls for greater investments by EU member-states in defense and border protection.
Regarding the Cyprus issue, the Greek premier praised Christodoulides’ efforts to “keep dialogue alive so that a fair and viable solution can be found,” reiterating Greece’s full solidarity with Nicosia.
In his comments, Christodoulides emphasized the significance of the UN’s expanded Geneva talks scheduled for March 17-18 and stated that Nicosia’s goal is to resume the talks “from the point where they left off in 2017,” referring to the collapsed negotiations at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana.
Christodoulides also addressed the Greek and Cypriot initiative regarding the need to bolster EU defense and security, particularly emphasizing the reference in the European Council conclusions that the EU faces threats in the Eastern Mediterranean in addition to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. [AMNA]