Cypriot president pleads with German chancellor on Greece's behalf

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades pleaded with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday on behalf of Greece in its dispute with international lenders over its funding.

"It was emphasized that it is necessary for an agreement to be reached between Greece and the institutions, as soon as possible, through a constructive dialogue," an official statement said after Anastasiades's telephone conversation with Merkel.

It did not say what Merkel's reaction was, but added that the president and chancellor agreed to stay in touch with regard to the issue of Greece.

Merkel had earlier said in a speech to parliament that she wanted the Greek people, "like the peoples of Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus, to gain the prospect of a better future."

Cyprus is the only other country besides Greece which still applies an economic adjustment program after its 10 billion euro (11.4 billion U.S. dollars) bailout by the Eurogroup and the International Monetary Fund in March 2013.

A government spokesman said Anastasiades and Merkel also talked about "the possible repercussion on the people of Greece in case no agreement is reached."

Cyprus and Greece maintain close ties but their economies, which were closely interlinked up to two years ago, are now almost fully disengaged, though the two countries still maintain extensive commercial relations.

This is one source of worry for the Cypriot government as the eastern Mediterranean island looks forward to growth after four years of contraction of its economy.

The spokesman said that Anastasiades subsequently had telephone conversations with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

No details of the conversations were announced. Endit