Christodoulides to visit Berlin on May 25

President Nikos Christodoulides will be paying an official visit to Berlin on May 25 to meet with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, it was announced on Wednesday.

According to deputy spokesperson for the German government, Christiane Hoffmann, the president will be received with military honours, and the two officials will make statements to the press following their meeting.

The agenda will include bilateral, international and European policy issues, she said.

Asked whether any German government officials or public figures could play a mediating role in resolving the Cyprus issue, Hoffmann chose to avoid prejudging the content of the talks, noting that the German government has been making efforts to find a solution for a long time.

Meanwhile, during a government briefing, German foreign ministry spokesman Christopher Burger was asked whether the German government envisages a “one Cyprus or two” solution.

“Germany’s position has not changed, we have supported the efforts of the United Nations and rejected mediation from other sides for a two-state solution,” he responded.

Burger added that “through the UN Security Council, there are recorded parameters for the solution of the Cyprus issue,” which in essence envisages a bizonal-bicommunal federation. “This was first formulated in resolution 716/91”.

However, he noted that there are also six previous UNSC resolutions on the Cyprus issue, on which this resolution is based, and this position was confirmed this year with resolution 26/74 of 2023, which speaks of a solution based on a bizonal-bicommunal federation with political equality.