The leaders of the Commonwealth states have expressed their unwavering support to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of the Republic of Cyprus, it emerged on Saturday.

A joint communique issued at the conclusion of the Commonwealth summit held in Samoa called for efforts to resume negotiations for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, in a joint communique at the end of the meeting held under the leadership of the UK’s King Charles III.

Cyprus was represented at the summit by Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, who attended on behalf of President Nikos Christodoulides.

According to a press release issued by the interior minister, the joint communique stressed the Commonwealth leaders’ support to the Cypriot government’s and president’s efforts to resume negotiations, under the auspices of the United Nations secretary-general for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, in the framework of a bicommunal, bizonal federation, as outlined in the UN Security Council resolutions regarding Cyprus.

On the sidelines of the summit, Ioannou held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Environment and Forestry of Fiji Islands. They discussed strategies to amplify the voices of Pacific nations in relevant EU groups addressing issues like ocean protection and climate change. It was agreed that Cyprus would leverage its EU presence to promote collaboration between the EU and Atlantic island nations on various climate change forums, the press release said.