UN welcomes recent meeting between Cyprus President and leader of occupied North

On Wednesday the UN Security Council released a statement welcoming Tuesday's meeting between the President of Cyprus, Mr Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci leader of the Turkish-Cypriot community of the occupied North.

"The members of the Security Council welcomed the progress made by the two leaders on confidence- building measures, particularly their decisions regarding mobile phone interoperability and electricity interconnectivity to facilitate greater interaction between the two communities, as well as their decision on the clearance of 18 suspected hazardous areas with a view to working towards a mine-free Cyprus," it said.

The members of the Security Council recalled their resolution 2453 (2019) and encouraged the leaders to continue their efforts towards agreement on and implementation of new confidence-building measures.

On the Cyprus issue, the members of the Security Council urged the sides and all involved participants to renew their political will and commitment to a settlement under United Nations auspices.

"The members of the Security Council further reiterated their call upon the two leaders to put their efforts expeditiously behind further work on reaching convergences on the core issues, stressing that the status quo is unsustainable," it said.

The Security Council reiterated their support for a Cypriot-led process and reaffirmed the primary role of the United Nations in assisting the parties to reach a settlement.