Informal meetings in an expanded format will continue, as they did in the past with the participation of the three guarantor powers, Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides said in statements after the conclusion of the informal dinner at the UN headquarters in New York which the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres hosted for Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.
Christodoulides said that an open discussion took place, that was constructive on some points, noting that he did not hear anything new from Tatar. Moreover, he said that himself and Tatar agreed to have a meeting in Cyprus and to explore the possibility of opening new crossing points.
He also noted that the Secretary General made some proposals that were not accepted by the Turkish Cypriot leader.
In his statements Christodoulides said that he would like to publicly thank the UN Secretary General for taking this very important initiative to host this informal dinner, despite the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Moreover he thanked him for his opening remarks on the way he thinks that the Cyprus issue can be resolved.
“An open discussion took place, that was constructive on some points. I did not hear anything new from Mr. Tatar, to be honest, but I am pleased that the Secretary General has decided to continue these informal meetings in an expanded format, as was done in the past and at the same time on several proposals that we have submitted on Confidence Building Measures,” he noted.
Moreover he said that “we agreed with Mr. Tatar to have a meeting in Cyprus and to explore the possibility of opening new crossing points.”
Christodoulides said that “for a long time, there has been no progress on the Cyprus issue,” adding that “we know what we are aiming for, and let us hope there will be positive developments towards the resumption of negotiations. But I must clarify that we are not there yet. Tonight’s discussions are informal as well as those that will follow and I hope that they will lead to the resumption of
talks,” he added
Asked about the meetings that will take place in an expanded format, the President of the Republic of Cyprus noted that “as previously they will involve the three guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey and the UK), they will be informal on how to explore the prospects for the resumption of talks.”
He also noted that during the discussion, he raised issues of particular importance, “although all issues are important for the Greek Cypriot side.”
Regarding the issue of sovereign equality issue put forward by the Turkish Cypriot side, Christodoulides stated that they have not overcome this issue and that “there was no progress on substantive issues.”
“I did not hear anything different from Mr. Tatar, and of course, I responded to the issues he raised, which are well-known, as they are the same things he says publicly,” he said.
The President noted that “the Secretary General will proceed with some consultations and will inform both sides about the dates of the next informal meetings. There was no
specific timeline tonight,” he said
He added that they touched on “all the issues related to the Cyprus problem.” He reiterated the importance of safeguarding the “negotiating acquis,” including the Secretary General’s six points framework.
“The Secretary General made some proposals that were not accepted by the Turkish Cypriot leader. I will not go into details, I am not here for a blame game or comment publicly on these issues. Let us keep the positive points, such as the continuation of this informal effort, and I hope the dialogue will yield results. We made specific proposals, but the other side did not provide answers, saying instead that these would be discussed in Cyprus,” the President said responding to a question about the issues raised by the Secretary General.
As regards the Secretary General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, Christodoulides said that “the Republic of Cyprus would like to see Ms. Holguín’s efforts continue, and what I can say is that someone will have a leading r
ole in these informal meetings with Mr. Tatar.”
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 Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency