Foreign ministers of Cyprus and Azerbaijan meet in New York — Cyprus Mail
Cyprus’s Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, United States. Kombos described the conversation as a frank exchange of views and characterized it as good, Cyprus Mail reports.
Political dialogue and relations with the EU
According to Bayramov, the sides continued work on the political dialogue between the two countries that they have been pursuing in recent years. He also said that the ministers exchanged views on Azerbaijan’s partnership with the European Union and regional developments.
Kombos and Bayramov have met before, including on the sidelines of the COP29 summit in Baku in 2024. Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said at the time that the meeting was not merely symbolic but also of particular importance.
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Context of the Cyprus issue
Cyprus Mail notes that Azerbaijan maintains contacts with both sides of the Cyprus issue. In April, Bayramov met with Turkish Cypriot foreign policy representative Tahsin Ertugruloglu at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. At the same event, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman.
Following that meeting, the Azerbaijani government referred to Erhurman in its statement as the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Aliyev had previously used the same wording for former Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and stated his intention to seek international recognition of the Turkish Cypriot authorities as a separate state.
On the sidelines of last year’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Aliyev also mentioned the 2004 referendum on the Annan Plan. According to him, a majority of Turkish Cypriots supported the plan, which, if approved, would have reunified Cyprus, while a majority of Greek Cypriots voted against it. At the same time, Azerbaijan received Christodoulides in Baku as the president of Cyprus and rhetorically supported the idea of two states on the island.
