Christodoulides tells Borrell he’s ‘determined’ to resume Cyprus talks (Updated)

President-elect Nikos Christodoulides has spoken on the phone with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and expressed his determination to resume talks for a Cyprus settlement.

According to a release from Christodoulides’ office, during the call Borrell congratulated him on his election last Sunday.

“Mr Christodoulides had the chance to reaffirm to Borrell his determination to resume talks for a Cyprus settlement immediately, on the basis of the agreed framework, and at the same time he conveyed his proposal for a more active engagement with EU at the helm in the effort to break the impasse, as well as in the process for a Cyprus solution, always within the UN framework,” the release said.

The two men agreed to meet in Brussels during the European Council scheduled to take place in March.

Christodoulides also spoke on the phone on Wednesday with UN Special Representative Colin Stewart who expressed his readiness to facilitate a meeting between the newly-elected president and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.

In a tweet, Steward said he had congratulated the new president on his election victory and looked forward to working with him and his team.

Stewart “confirmed his readiness” to facilitate a meeting between the two leaders “when convenient”, it said.