On September 19, H.E. Nicos Anastasiades, president of the Republic of Cyprus, delivered a keynote address on the future of Cyprus at the 2016 Concordia Summit in New York City on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. President Anastasiades addressed the progress towards a Cyprus settlement and a future for Cyprus as a pillar of stability and bridge-builder in a challenging region.

On the forty-two-year-old Cyprus problem, President Anastasiades was “cautiously optimistic” about the prospect of reaching a solution despite the ground left to be covered, declaring that a mutual respect for each side’s sensitivities would enable a resolving of differences.

Following his speech, Mr. Damon Wilson, executive vice president for programs and strategy of the Atlantic Council, joined the president for a conversation on the strategic priorities of Cyprus at this critical phase of the settlement talks. President Anastasiades and Mr. Wilson discussed how to transform the Cyprus problem into a historic example of successful diplomacy and cooperation in a region of persistent turbulence.

Image: H.E. Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus, speaks with Atlantic Council Executive Vice President Damon Wilson about the strategic priorities of his government at a public session organized by the Atlantic Council at the 2016 Concordia Summit.