The Informal Meeting on Cyprus in a broader format, in Geneva continues and concludes today with bilateral meetings between the UN Secretary-General and each delegation, followed by a plenary session.
Today, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, will hold a bilateral meeting at 9:40 AM (10:40 AM Cyprus time) with the UK Minister for Europe. At 10:45 AM, he will have a bilateral meeting with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, who will also hold separate meetings with the other participating delegations at the conference.
During the bilateral meeting, President Christodoulides will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou, and National Security Advisor Tasos Tzionis.
The plenary session will take place at the UN building, Palais des Nations, between 13:00 and 16:00 (Cyprus time).
President Christodoulides will be accompanied at the plenary session by Mr Menelaou, Mr Letymbiotis, Ms Raouna, Attorney-General of the Republic Mary-Ann Stavrinidou, and legal expert Achilleas Emilianides, according to the same sources.
Once the plenary session concludes, the Informal Meeting on the Cyprus issue will come to an end.
From Geneva, President Christodoulides will travel to Brussels on Tuesday evening, where he and the UN Secretary-General will brief the European Council, which is set to take place on 20-21 March, on the outcomes of the Geneva meetings.
According to the invitation sent by the President of the European Council to EU leaders for the upcoming European Council meeting, on Thursday, 20 March, EU leaders will hold a working lunch with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Joint letter to UN Secretary-General from von der Leyen and Costa
On Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa sent a joint letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, expressing the EU’s desire for active involvement in the Cyprus issue. Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis stated this after the National Council meeting in Geneva.
He noted that the letter was sent following an initiative by the Republic of Cyprus, calling it “a move of high significance and value, both in terms of timing and in terms of its content and the messages it conveys.”
When asked about President Christodoulides’ meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan after the dinner hosted by the UN Secretary-General, Letymbiotis described it as a brief social interaction, much like the dinner itself.
“They stayed for 10 to 15 minutes for a discussion of a social nature,” the Spokesperson noted.
Statements following the National Council meeting
Speaking after the second session of the National Council on Monday night, following the UN Secretary-General’s dinner with the heads of delegations at the informal expanded meeting on Cyprus, Letymbiotis described the dinner as “a social opportunity to exchange views ahead of [today’s] important bilateral meetings in the morning and the plenary session.”
He reminded that on Tuesday, at 9:40 AM, President Christodoulides would hold a bilateral meeting with the UK Minister for European Affairs, followed by a meeting with the UN Secretary-General at 10:45 AM before the start of the plenary session.
Letymbiotis stated that after the conclusion of Monday’s National Council meeting, President Christodoulides had a telephone conversation with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, followed by calls with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.
“Both expressed the European Union’s support for the efforts we are making and the efforts being made by the UN Secretary-General to restart negotiations,” he added.
In this context, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission jointly sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, copied to the President of the Republic and the Turkish Cypriot leader. “This letter was sent following an initiative by the Republic of Cyprus and, as is easily understood, is a move of great significance and value both in terms of timing and its content and messages,” he stated.
“This is essentially a significant intervention by the European Union at a critical moment and is certainly a continuation of the EU’s declared intention to be present at this multilateral conference and to play the role that befits it,” he added.
He also stated that this is “yet another tangible demonstration that the European Union can and wants to play a role with all the means at its disposal and at all stages of the process.”
EU’s commitment and Turkey’s position
Letymbiotis pointed out that a joint letter from the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission to the UN Secretary-General “demonstrates the importance and weight that these two top institutions—and consequently all EU member states—attach to the efforts being made for a solution to the Cyprus issue.”
According to the Spokesperson, the most significant points in the letter, which the UN Secretary-General has received, are the reaffirmation of the European Union’s position and commitment to efforts to reunify Cyprus within the UN framework, based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation, in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and EU principles and values.
“The letter also expresses the hope and expectation that this multilateral conference will yield further progress and pave the way for the resumption of negotiations from where they left off. The European Union reiterates its readiness, once again, to play its role, actively contribute, and further escalate its efforts in support of the UN-led process,” he added.
Furthermore, the letter highlights and underscores the Cyprus issue as a European matter of great significance to the EU itself. “And you understand that when two top institutions highlight and prioritise the Cyprus issue in a joint letter, it carries its own significance and value,” he noted.
Ongoing meetings and the role of the EU
Letymbiotis also stated that meetings would continue today: “We will attend these meetings, both the bilateral meetings of the President of the Republic and the plenary session of the conference, with constructive proposals, a constructive attitude, and a sincere political will to assist the work of the UN Secretary-General so that further momentum can be achieved.”
When asked about the brief meeting between President Christodoulides and the Turkish Foreign Minister after the dinner, Letymbiotis reiterated that it was a social, brief conversation following the dinner.
Asked to clarify, he stated that the President’s brief stay with the Turkish Foreign Minister in the dining room “was of a social nature, as was the dinner in its entirety.” He added that “it was not a discussion concerning or related to the substance of the negotiations.”
Key messages in the letter from von der Leyen and Costa
According to sources, in their letter, von der Leyen and Costa thank Guterres for the UN’s ongoing efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue and for his personal commitment to achieving this goal.
The European Union strongly supports the efforts to find a viable solution for Cyprus, they state, expressing their appreciation for the work done by the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, which they say has played a decisive role in creating a new positive dynamic. They also acknowledge the work done by the United Nations on the ground and in broader discussions on settling the Cyprus issue.
They express satisfaction that the meeting with the leaders of the two Cypriot communities in New York on 15 October led to continued dialogue between them. They hope that this week’s expanded meeting in Geneva will bring further progress and could open the way for formal negotiations, as they said.
President Christodoulides’ contact with Costa and von der Leyen
On Monday, President Christodoulides had a conversation from Geneva with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. These discussions took place during the day before the informal dinner and after the morning National Council session.
According to sources, the EU officials expressed their support for President Christodoulides’ efforts to restart negotiations.
The EU remains committed to the agreed framework, as defined by UN Security Council resolutions, with sources noting that Costa and von der Leyen discussed sending a joint letter to the UN Secretary-General, expressing support for his efforts to restart negotiations and the EU’s readiness to contribute.
Also read: Cyprus Informal Meeting in Geneva aims to revive negotiations
