A political figure emphasised regarding the latest developments on the divided island that Great Britain has never left Cyprus as it is a former colony and part of its Commonwealth.
The revival of Britain's interest in its former colony was confirmed by both diplomatic sources on the island and the impressive mobility of the British Minister of Foreign Dominic Raab in view of the informal five-party meeting called by the United Nations.
The meeting will occur in early March and is about the future of the Cyprus issue, with participation of the Republic of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot community, as well as the guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey and Great Britain).
Britain is once again coming to the fore, claiming a leading role in the Eastern Mediterranean, as evidenced by the statements and recent talks of Raab.
He already held bilateral talks in Nicosia with leaders of the country and the Turkish-speaking community leaders.
Earlier, he had talked with his counterparts from Greece and Turkey.
"Before the informal UN talks, I spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, where I stressed the need for flexibility on all sides," the British Foreign Secretary wrote on his official Twitter account on February 3.
"I think a failure to reach a settlement after so many efforts would benefit no-one," he said after talks with Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulidis.
"So again I urge all sides to come to the talks with a willingness to demonstrate flexibility and compromise and I was very heartened from our conversations about the scope for that and a positive outcome," Raab added.
How is Britain's interest explained?
Of interest is the "aggressive" way in which Great Britain seeks to play a leading role in the development of the island.
"Peace agreement, which was prevented for almost half a century, sparking tensions over energy issues, while straining Turkey's relationship with the European Union," a political source in Cyprus told Sputnik Hellas.
"There is nothing strange in this mobility , as there is intense mobility from all players due to the five-sided issue for the Cyprus issue," the sourced said, adding "It is wrong to believe that Cyprus was never left by the British."
"Cyprus was never released. It is a former colony and belongs to the Commonwealth. Britain is also a guarantor power in the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus and will therefore be in the five-party institution," added the same source.
"In addition, we still have British bases and Cyprus has always been an important trading partner because of the thousands of Cypriot students who traditionally study in the United Kingdom," the source said.
"So this mobility is related to the interest of Great Britain in the long run to secure its interests in Cyprus and after Brexit especially to secure the future of the bases," the source concluded.
READ MORE: The Bathtub Massacre in Cyprus.
