Readout of Vice President Biden's Calls with President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot Leader Mustafa Akinci

Vice President Biden spoke to President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades today to congratulate him on successful parliamentary elections, reaffirm that U.S. policy towards Cyprus remains unchanged, and encourage President Anastasiades to seize the moment to negotiate a settlement that would reunify Cyprus as a bizonal, bicommunal federation. Subsequently, the Vice President spoke to Turkish Cypriot Leader Mustafa Akinci to convey the same message on the need to keep moving forward on settlement negotiations. The Vice President urged both leaders to resume meetings as soon as possible. Vice President Biden pledged continued U.S. support to both sides as they work to reach a successful agreement before the end of the year, and praised the commitment and courage of the leaders for the historic steps they are taking to reunify the island.