Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas met with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday.
The main topic of conversation between Droutsas and the UN chief was the Cyprus issue, ahead of the secretary general’s report, which will be submitted to the UN Security Council by the end of the month.
Droutsas reiterated Athens’s position that Turkey and Turkish Cypriots should be doing more to help reunify Cyprus.
”We want to see a settlement and the settlement in our view must be based on the UN Security Council resolutions but also on the full respect of the EU acquis communitaire since the Republic of Cyprus is a full member of the European Union and this must be taken into account in the search for a settlement,” said Droutsas after talks between the two men on Friday.
Droutsas urged Ban to be objective in his report to the UN Security Council on his mediation of Cyprus reunification talks.
”For us reality says that you have President Demetris Christofias who is putting forward from the beginning of this effort, very constructive, forthcoming proposals,” said Droutsas.
“Unfortunately, we see the Turkish Cypriot community and especially the new leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community Mr [Dervis] Eroglu, expressing positions that remind us of the past, that are also abandoning in some terms the basis agreed upon for the solution of the Cyprus problem and we encourage also the Turkish Cypriot community to look into the issue of the settlement in the most constructive way.”
The FYROM name talks and the situation in the Middle East were amongst the other issues discussed.
The meetings at the United Nations followed his two day visit to London
Droutsas and British Foreign Minister William Haig held talks at the Foreign Office on Wednesday, focusing on the rapid and historic developments in the Middle East, the issue of Cyprus and Greek-Turkish relations.
Great priority was placed on the developments in the Middle East and the Greek minister pointed out to his British counterpart that Greece, with the great tradition of the country in which Democracy was born, is able and willing to help the international efforts in the direction of the democratisation of the countries of the Middle East.
Droutsas told the British Foreign secretary that Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has the idea, and will promote the creation in Greece of a “Democracy Centre”, that will help the development of democracy in the Middle East and its operational program will include the training and education of young politicians from the countries of the Middle East.
In the discussion on Greek-Turkish relations Turkey’s latest provocations were raised, stressing that these actions cause great harm to Greece’s efforts to establish good relations and a good climate with the neighbouring country.
On Thursday, Droutsas held talks with British Deputy Foreign Minister David Leadington, responsible for the issues of southeastern Europe
and NATO.
Droutsas started his week with a two-day visit to Cyprus where he met with the President of Cyprus Demitri Christofias and with the Cypriot Foreign Minister Kyprianou to coordinate their joint position on the issue of Cyprus.
Source: ANA