The British government wants to see the Cyprus issue “resolved through negotiations, in accordance with the United Nations framework,” UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said.

The UK foreign secretary was speaking on Sunday night during the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, where he told attendees he had discussed such a solution during his recent visit to Ankara.

In his address at the annual reception of the Conservative Friends of Cyprus, Cleverly said that his country has great relations with both Cyprus and Turkey and is working towards a solution to this longstanding issue.

“I can assure you that we will continue to work passionately to try to resolve this longstanding issue and not just let it slide. Just because something has been the case for a long time does not mean that we should give up the desire to achieve a solution and we will continue to work on it,” he added.

He referred to his recent meeting and good relations with Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, whom he jokingly called “a tall, good looking guy”, saying they “hit it off” and had produced some “serious work” on bilateral relations during their very first face-to-face meeting in London a few months ago.

Cleverly gave particular emphasis to the “instantaneous, positive and decisive” support the government of Cyprus gave to the UK nationals’ evacuation operation from Sudan. He described this support as a perfect example of friendship and close cooperation between the two countries.

He also praised the “incredibly positive” contribution of the Cypriot diaspora in the UK, as well as the “outstanding” Cypriot High Commissioner Andreas Kakouris.

Cleverly congratulated the Republic of Cyprus on the 63rd anniversary of its establishment, which coincided with the event on Sunday.

Kakouris, in asking for the continuing support of Cyprus’ friends in the UK, said that “Cyprus matters”. He referred to the ever-stronger bilateral relationship between Cyprus and the UK, as highlighted by the memorandum of understanding signed last November and also underlined the contribution of the “large and loud” UK Cypriot community.

The Cypriot diplomat lamented the lack of progress on the Cyprus issue due to the challenge of Turkey’s support for a two-state solution. As he remarked, “there are not two states or two peoples in Cyprus.” Kakouris then thanked the UK government for its “very clear” position that a settlement must be based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

The Conservative Friends of Cyprus Honorary President MP Theresa Villiers said “we must never let up on the pursuit for a just and balanced negotiated settlement in Cyprus […] a free and united Cyprus is a matter of urgency and should be seen as such by the UN and the international community.”

The significant role of the Cypriot community in the UK in general and in promoting the Conservative Party’s links with Cyprus, as well as the support the UK can offer in achieving a just settlement, were underlined on behalf of the Conservative Friends of Cyprus by its officials and members George Hadjipavli (on behalf of the organisation’s Chairman Jason Charalambous), Andreas Papaevripides, Doros Partasides and Andre Chris.