Obama: US supports just and durable Cyprus solution

US President Barack Obama, said on Tuesday that the United States together with Greece, Turkey and other interested parties hope to support and encourage a just and durable solution in Cyprus.

Obama who is was in Athens, was speaking just before he held talks with Greece`s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who in his introductory comments said that Greece expected a “fair and viable solution” with regard to Cyprus.

Earlier Obama had been received by Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos who also referred to the Cyprus problem, noting that the solution should be based on international law and the acquis communautaire, which would exclude the existence of occupying troops. He had added that if a solution contrary to the acquis communautaire is accepted then it would act as a precedent for the entire EU.

“With Greece, Turkey and other interested parties we hope to support and encourage a just and durable solution to the situation in Cyprus,” Obama said in his introductory remarks with Tsipras.

And this, he noted, “is just one area where we have consistently been able to count on Greece as a friend, an ally, a vital link in Nato and our transatlantic partnership and I know that from the Greek American community they would want me to express our deep affection and abiding friendship with the people of Greece.”

He also congratulated the government and the people of Greece for “moving forward through a very difficult process” and pointed out that “in my message to Europe I will continue to emphasize our view that austerity alone cannot deliver prosperity and it is going important both with respect to debt relief and other accommodating strategies, to help the Greek people in this period of adjustment.”

At the same time he underlined “again our deep appreciation for the compassion that the Greek people have shown with respect to refugees,” and spoke of the need to deal with the matter with a compassionate and orderly fashion.

Referring to the change in administration he assured that the transatlantic alliance continues to be the corner stone of our security that is unwavering and “it is something which provides significant continuity even as we see a transition of governments in the US.”