Cypriot president to speak to EU leaders about Greek debt crisis

Cyprus's President Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday he would try to speak with European Union officials within the day about the Greek debt crisis.

His spokesman said that Anastasiades had earlier in the day a telephone conversation with the President of Greece, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, "in connection with Greece's effort to reach a deal with (European) institutions".

When asked whether Finance Minister Harris Georgiades will take up any mediatory role in Greece's effort to close a deal with its international lenders, the spokesman said the question should be what the president will do following his conversation with the Greek President.

"The President will possibly have telephone talks with European Union leaders and those in charge of institutions involved in the negotiations, tonight or tomorrow at the latest," the spokesman said.

He did not say either whom Anastasiades will talk to or what line he will take on the Greek issue.

But sources said that he will probably call German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Central Bank president Mario Draghi.

Besides Greece, Cyprus is the only other euro country still in a bailout program after it was pulled back from bankruptcy in a 10-billion-euro financial assistance deal signed in March 2013.

But unlike Greece, Cyprus has stuck to its economic adjustment program diligently, with its economy performing much better that international lenders projected.

It is expected to return to growth this year after four years in recession and end its memorandum obligations next year.

Cyprus is linked with Greece with close ethnic and cultural ties and their economies had been closely connected until recently.

But the Cypriot government has said it has taken measures to minimize the impact of a possible abrupt exit of Greece for the euro zone and does not expect a considerable fallout on its economy. Endit