Inaction is not an option, President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday, while speaking about the current situation in the Cyprus problem at an event in Athens. "It entails serious risks and does not secure the future of Cypriot Hellenism", he added. At the same time, he pointed out that Ankara's European path crosses through Nicosia and though a Cyprus settlement. Speaking about his forthcoming travel to New York, for the UN General Assembly, and a possible meeting there on the Cyprus issue, the President noted that Nicosia will attend "with the expectation of intensifying efforts for the next step and of resuming [the dialogue] on the basis of the agreed framework." "We are not afraid of dialogue and we know where we want to go," he underlines. President Christodoulides was addressing an event, in the Greek capital, co-organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus and the Cultural Foundation of Journalists' Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (ESIEA). The event, titled "25 years lat er: Yannos Kranidiotis, the vision remains alive", was organized in memory of the late Cypriot-born, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Yannos Kranidiotis and the journalists Nina Asimakopoulou, Dimitris Pantazopoulos and Panagiotis Poulos, who lost their lives during an aircraft accident in 1999. The President highlighted the legacy of Yannos Kranidiotis on the modern history of Cyprus, the Cyprus problem, and EU accession. During his speech, he referred to Kranidiotis' rich career, from his early years as a pupil to his activities as a student at the Law School, where he was a pioneer in the Association of Cypriot Scientists and a founding member of EDEK and PASOK. "He was a chaser of the dream and a devotee of realistic goals," President Christodoulides said, stressing that he served his country with dedication. "He was not monolithic" but insisted "that the Cyprus problem must be placed in the context of wider developments", the President pointed out about Yannos Kranidiotis' vision. As he stre ssed, the late Deputy Foreign Minister contributed decisively for the Cyprus problem to be understood by the decision-making centers, and highlighted Kranidotis' contribution to Cyprus' EU accession process with the submission of the application in July 1990 and his presence in the negotiations since their launch in 1994. He also described the letter of Kranidiotis to the EU Foreign Ministers in which he responded to Turkish accusations as "historic." "Cyprus has celebrated 20 years of membership. We are approaching this milestone of the accession with pride" President Christodoulides said, stressing that although this was not a path lined with rose petals, it brought huge benefits to the country. For his part, the Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, who also addressed the event, noted that Yannos Krandiotis combined "noble vision and patriotic realism." As he stressed, Yiannos Kranidiotis was a source of inspiration for him when he took office, describing him as "the architect of Cyprus' European course." Speaking about the current situation in the Cyprus problem, Minister Gerapetritis referred to the importance of the June European Council conclusions, in which the EU's active participation in all stages of the Cyprus settlement is mentioned, as well as those of April, where Euro-Turkish issues are linked to the Cyprus solution. He stressed that the first goal is to bring the Cyprus problem back to the priorities of the UN, and referred to the President of the Republic of Cyprus' firm position that inaction on the Cyprus problem does not help. "We are slightly optimistic for the resumption of dialogue", he said, while making clear that the UN Security Council resolutions are the only basis for a solution and that the division of the island will never be accepted. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Cra ns-Montana ended inconclusively. Source: Cyprus News Agency