An expanded informal Cyprus meeting begins today in New York, led by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The talks bring together key stakeholders in the Cyprus problem, including President Nikos Christodoulides, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, and the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey, Giorgos Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan.
Also attending are UK Minister for Europe Stephen Doughty and the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín.
The Cyprus meeting opens with a working dinner this evening (7:00 p.m. New York time / 2:00 a.m. Thursday Cyprus time) at the UN headquarters. On Thursday, Mr Guterres will hold bilateral consultations with both delegations. President Christodoulides’ private meeting is scheduled for 10:25 a.m. (5:25 p.m. Cyprus time), followed by the full plenary session at 11:30 a.m. and a working lunch at 1:30 p.m. The final round of talks is expected to conclude at 4:45 p.m. (11:45 p.m. Cyprus time).
Government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the Greek Cypriot side aims to use the multilateral Cyprus meeting as a launchpad for substantive negotiations to resume from where they left off.
The meeting was agreed during a previous informal round held in Geneva last March, where the two leaders committed to confidence-building measures such as opening new crossings, creating a youth committee, environmental initiatives, solar energy production in the buffer zone, and the restoration of cemeteries.
Ms Holguín was appointed by the UN in May with a mandate to work with both sides on charting a path forward. The Cypriot delegation includes senior government officials, the Attorney General, Foreign Minister, and key advisors.
Also read: EU to benefit from a Cyprus solution as MEPs call for pressure on Turkey
For more videos and updates, check out our YouTube channel.
