“The UK government takes its responsibility as a guarantor power very seriously and we are fully committed to the UN-led Cyprus settlement process,” its minister of state for Europe Stephen Doughty said on Saturday.

He made the comment in a reply on behalf of the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the Board of British Cypriots.

The minister also pointed out that during his visit to Cyprus earlier this year he witnessed firsthand the impact of the island’s division.

“I understand the pain and frustration that exists in both communities. I urged leaders on both sides to re-double their efforts towards a just and lasting settlement, to improve the lives of all Cypriot citizens,” Doughty said.

“In my interventions, I encouraged all sides to engage wholeheartedly in a spirit of openness and flexibility to find a path back to substantive settlement talks, and reiterated the UK’s commitment to the UN’s bizonal, bicommunal federation model, with political equality,” he added.

He concluded by welcoming “the agreement of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to continue working on confidence building measures, their agreement to the UNSG’s appointment of a Personal Envoy, and their commitment to meet again in July”.

The Board of British Cypriots has, from time to time, addressed similar letters to senior officials of the British government as well as others involved in the issue.

The UN secretary-general announced that an informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format will be held at the end of July, following a similar meeting in Geneva, on March 17-18.

Antonio Guterres also announced he will appoint a new personal envoy on Cyprus to prepare the next steps, while the two sides agreed to proceed with a number of initiatives, involving the opening of crossing points, the creation of a Technical Committee on Youth and other initiatives in the buffer zone and throughout the island.