FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. Embassy
April 16, 2003

U.S. Ambassador Michael Klosson Congratulates Cyprus
on its signature of the EU Accession Treaty

I want to congratulate the government of Cyprus on its signature today of the EU accession treaty.  The United States has long been supportive of Cyprus’s aspirations to join the European Union.  

With the signing of the treaty in Athens, that dream moves toward reality.The United States had hoped that the UN Secretary General's efforts to reach a just and durable settlement would have led to the signature of the accession treaty by a unified Cyprus.  We regret that this, despite strong efforts by the UN Secretary General, the United States and other members of the international community,  proved not possible for reasons cited by the UN Secretary General.

The people of the United States and Cyprus benefit from our countries’ rich and multi-faceted relationship, supported by strong economic, commercial, cultural, educational, social and political ties. Today, as Cyprus prepares to join the EU, the relationship between our two countries will become even more wide-ranging.  The U.S. looks forward to expanding our dialogue with the Republic of Cyprus to include issues related to its membership in the EU.  We look forward to deepening our cooperation even further.