Statement by the General Secretary of AKEL Stefanos Stefanou on his meetings with Members of the British Parliament

 

29 January 2026, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The General Secretary of AKEL held meetings yesterday with Members of the British Parliament, during which he discussed both the latest developments surrounding the Cyprus problem and the role that Britain can play in efforts to break the deadlock, as well as social policy issues, with an emphasis on policies to address the housing crisis and energy poverty.

The following is the statement made by the General Secretary of AKEL at the end of the meetings:

“We had two meetings today. The first meeting was with a group of Labour Party MPs, with whom we discussed the Cyprus problem and, more specifically, the latest developments, as well as the efforts underway to break the deadlock and resume negotiations from where they were interrupted in 2017, preserving the negotiating acquis and utilizing the Framework of the UN Secretary-General.

We briefed the group of MPs on AKEL’s positions on the Cyprus problem. We underlined that it is particularly important for all those involved in the Cyprus problem to remain consistent to the agreed basis for a solution of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, as described in the relevant UN resolutions.

We also stressed that the solution to the Cyprus problem should lead to the termination of the Turkish occupation, the reunification of the country and its people, as well as to the end of the anachronistic system of guarantees.

 We also discussed the role that Britain can play on the Cyprus problem. It is well known that Britain prepares the relevant UN Security Council resolutions on the Cyprus problem and, therefore, it is particularly important that it remain consistent both to the UN resolutions on Cyprus and to the position it has expressed in the past on ending the system of guarantees.

We agreed with the group of MPs to remain in contact, given that there is movement surrounding the Cyprus problem, and we expressed our hope that this movement will lead to developments.

Our second meeting was with Labour Party MP and former Housing Minister Angela Rayner. We discussed issues relating to housing policy, as well as broader social policy issues.

There is a housing crisis in Britain too, as there is in Cyprus and in Europe in general. We exchanged views on how the state should develop a comprehensive and integrated state housing policy. We informed the MP about AKEL’s positions, approaches, and proposals regarding the housing crisis.

The discussion also extended to broader social policy issues, such as the need to tackle energy poverty. It is well known that energy poverty in Cyprus is particularly high, among the highest in the European Union. We also discussed the need to support workers’ incomes and rights so that they can have both dignified working conditions and incomes that enable them to meet the increased needs of everyday life.

We agreed with the MP to stay in touch. It is well known that the Labour Party is in power in Britain and, through this contact, we seek to exchange information and experiences with a view to improving policies relating to the social policy of the state.”

29.01.2026