Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou and Britain’s foreign office’s Mediterranean department’s deputy director Alison Kemp met on Thursday in London to discuss the Cyprus problem.

After the meeting, Stefanou said that “of course, the subject of the discussion was the Cyprus problem, the movement which exists, which so far has not yielded any results, towards breaking the deadlock and continuing the negotiations”.

“We informed Kemp about Akel’s positions regarding how we can maximise the chances of being able to achieve a breakthrough in the deadlock,” he added.

He then outlined the “key aspects” of his party’s position on the Cyprus problem, saying Akel believes efforts should be focused on resuming negotiations from where they were broken off at Crans Montana in 2017, “preserving the convergences which were achieved after long and arduous negotiations”.

Additionally, he said, he and Kemp had discussed Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side’s “moving away” from the stated aim of a bizonal, bicommunal federal solution to the Cyprus problem, instead favouring a two-state solution.

“We explained to Kemp why a two-state solution cannot be accepted and cannot resolve the problems caused by the Turkish occupation and the de facto situation which, according to the United Nations, is not and cannot be sustainable,” he said.

He added that Kemp had reassured him that the United Kingdom “remains consistent in its position in favour of a bizonal, bicommunal federal solution”, and that the country is “monitoring matters as a guarantor power in Cyprus with the willingness to help so that a solution to the Cyprus problem can be achieved”.

He also said he had informed Kemp about Akel’s “efforts to shape a positive agenda”.

“We need to shape a positive agenda in Cyprus, towards Turkey and towards the Turkish Cypriot community, with the aim of creating momentum, releasing incentives and common interests with the aim of creating the ground for Turkey to return to the negotiating table,” he said.

He added that this effort is being made with the aim of “achieving a solution to the Cyprus problem that will end the Turkish occupation and reunite Cyprus and its people”.