EU hails resumption of Cyprus dialogue

The European Union (EU) welcomed the agreement announced earlier Tuesday by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders on a Joint Declaration, which lays a solid foundation for resumption of negotiations for a fair and comprehensive settlement of the longstanding Cyprus problem.

“This Joint Declaration should help them to swiftly address matters of substance and to achieve rapid results in the negotiations,” President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said in a joint statement.

“The European Union supports the efforts to reach an agreement between the two parties on a package of Confidence-Building Measures which can help to create momentum towards a settlement to the benefit of Cypriot people,” it said.