Foreign Minister N. Kotzias' statement following his meeting with the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Matthew Nimetz (Brussels, 17 July 2017)

N. KOTZIAS: We had a very interesting and serious meeting with Mr. Nimetz, who recently visited Skopje. He briefed me on the atmosphere he encountered there. I briefed him on our thinking following the meetings we had with our northern neighbour's new government. We agreed to stay in touch and to seek ways in which we could open up a process for seeking a solution.

JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, do we have any indications of good will from the government in Skopje?

N. KOTZIAS: In terms of communication, yes.

JOURNALIST: On the substance?

N. KOTZIAS: As I said, it is on the level of communication. As far as substance is concerned, it remains to be seen.

JOURNALIST: Regarding your trip to Cyprus, what are the goals of your meetings, which are taking place in parallel with Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu's visit in the occupied territories in Cyprus?

N. KOTZIAS: He found out I was visiting free Cyprus and he decided to carry out his own visit. He often follows me. This isn't necessarily bad, if only he had the same goals. I am going to Cyprus to discuss the follow-up to the Conference in Switzerland, as well as how we should proceed so that a future negotiation can be better and more effectively prepared. We are going to talk about Greece-Cyprus bilateral relations as well as issues pertaining to regional security and stability. We are also going to discuss European Union issues, and in particular Turkey's path with regard to the European Union and specifically the customs union.