The meeting lasted a little less than an hour and took place at the presidential retreat in the Troodos mountains.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Fallon said that he was able to update the President on the situation in Northern Iraq and the humanitarian work that has been done and "which is being organised from Cyprus".

"I also paid tribute to Cyprus’ unique position, in terms of the region and the stability we are all looking for across the region", he said. Fallon also added that they discussed the Cyprus question and the next steps towards the settlement as well as bilateral issues particularly the recovery of the Cyprus economy.

Government Spokesman Nicos Christodoulides who was present at the meeting told reporters that they discussed the situation in Iraq, Mideast and Ukraine, the bilateral relations and the economy. The President also briefed the British Secretary of Defence on the Cyprus problem.

According to Sky News, Fallon, who visited earlier RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, confirmed that “today we have deployed Rivet Joint, our very latest surveillance aircraft, the successor to Nimrod, to give us a much better picture, more intelligence and analysis of what is happening on the ground which will help the Iraqi government, the Kurdish forces and the Americans."

This is the first meeting of a British Defence Secretary with a Cyprus official since 1974.

Source: Famagusta Gazette