Shortly after 11 a.m., the meeting between the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, began at Ledra Palace. This marks the second meeting between the two leaders following their informal expanded encounter in Geneva.
Mr Tatar was the first to arrive at the venue, followed by President Christodoulides, who was accompanied by the Greek Cypriot negotiator, Menelaos Menelaou. The two leaders were welcomed by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Colin Stewart.
Prior to the formal talks, the two leaders briefly met with members of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Youth Affairs.
Today’s meeting is a follow-up to their first one-on-one encounter, which took place on 2 April. During that meeting, they agreed to establish a Technical Committee on Youth, to hold discussions on demining at the level of the Greek Cypriot negotiator and the Turkish Cypriot special representative, and to work on initiatives related to the environment and climate change, as well as the restoration of cemeteries. They also tasked their representatives with continuing discussions on crossing points and the use of solar energy in the buffer zone.
Today’s talks are taking place ahead of the return to Cyprus of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar.
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Source: CNA
