The goal of the Cypriot government remains to strengthen the defence deterrent capability of the Republic of Cyprus through strategic cooperation with countries such as the US and France, and to align with the standards and procedures of international organisations such as the NATO, Cypriot government spokesman Constantine Letibiotis said.

Briefing reporters, the government spokesman also stressed the importance of proper preparation for the expanded five-party meeting, with the aim of resuming negotiations on the Cyprus issue.

Asked whether the Intergovernmental Session with Greece will discuss the issue of Cyprus’ membership in NATO, the Spokesman referred to the Republic of Cyprus’ goal of upgrading its defence program as much as possible.

This, he said, is demonstrated through the actions of the Government and was discussed during the recent meeting between the President of the Republic and the President of the United States, namely the strengthening of cooperation in the fields of defence and security. These areas, he added, are also part of the strategic dialogue.

“What we have set as a goal is to achieve as much as possible the harmonisation of our country’s defence planning with an organisation or with the member states of an organisation, such as NATO, whether this concerns the training of our personnel or the adoption of protocols or the way our arms program is progressing or being developed,” he said.

In this effort, he also said, all cooperation with states such as France and the United States are being utilized, and stressed that Turkey’s stance in such a potential discussion is well known and contains political aspects.

“We will continue to make efforts to strengthen as much as we can our deterrent, defensive capability, but also to strengthen through these very important synergies with states, the very important role that we play in the region, our very important humanitarian role in the region, either through the implementation of the Amalthea humanitarian corridor or through the evacuation of civilians from the region,” Letibiotis said.

No date has been set for the expanded five-party meeting

Responding to another question, the spokesman said that the date for the expanded five-party meeting has not been locked in, as a result of the meeting between the President and Ersin Tatar in the presence of the UN Secretary-General.

“The information we have is that we are expecting the descent of Di Carlo to the region, precisely in preparation for the convening of this expanded meeting, which we welcome,” he said.

He reminded that the Government is focused on ensuring that there is proper preparation for this enlarged meeting and that the convening of an enlarged meeting is not an end in itself.

“What is the goal is to convene an enlarged meeting, which can be a springboard for further mobility on the Cyprus problem, with the ultimate goal of course of resuming negotiations from the point where they have been interrupted,” he said.

He added that the government is in contact with the UN Assistant Secretary-General, but they have not been informed about the fixed dates of Di Carlo’s visit to the region.

Regarding the meeting with Tatar on the issue of opening new roadblocks, he said that preparatory preparations are being made at the level of the regular meetings of negotiators from both sides, but no specific date has been set for the President’s meeting.