ATHENS — Attending the informal five-party conference on the Cyprus issue, convened by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Geneva, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias addressed the meeting held earlier on Wednesday, saying that Greece is attending with a constructive attitude and in good faith, according to diplomatic sources. Greece is present as a guarantor force, in full coordination with the Cypriot side.

He also pointed out that the Mitsotakis government wants the resumption of negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem, the framework of which must be fully compatible with the UN Charter and the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council – meaning a bicommunal, bizonal federation – as well as the European acquis.

Especially with regard to the last point, he made special reference to the fact that any solution should ensure the continuation of the substantial participation of Cyprus in decision-making within the EU, without external interference. He stressed that there is no room for consideration of any alternative outside the above framework, according to the same sources.

Referring to the status of guarantees, he stressed that there should be provision for the abolition of this anachronistic system and the possibility of intervention by third countries, as well as the complete withdrawal of Turkish occupation forces from the island.

On Tuesday, the foreign minister had successive meetings with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulidis and with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades. The talks focused on the coordination of Greece and Cyprus ahead of the informal five-party meeting.

Afterwards, Dendias attended a reception given by the UN Secretary General. He had the opportunity to talk with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Çavusoglu, as well as with his British counterpart Dominic Raab.

The foreign minister is later scheduled to meet with the UN Secretary General (at around 14:45 Greek time), as well as his British counterpart.

Varvitsiotis: Two-state solution for Cyprus not accepted by international community

"The two-state solution for Cyprus proposed by the Turkish-Cypriot side and Turkey is not accepted by the international community," Alternate Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said in an interview with Real FM on Wednesday.

Commenting the five-party informal meeting in Geneva, he underlined that the two-state solution is outside the framework of UN Security Council resolutions that call for a bizonal, bicommunal federation on the island.

It is also a solution that is outside the EU framework, he pointed out, underlining that any other prospect for Cyprus would essentially legalise the illegal invasion and occupation.