UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to arrive in Cyprus tonight for a series of high-level meetings focused on the Cyprus issue, including talks with President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín, is scheduled to meet President Christodoulides at 9:30 am today before holding talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman at 11:00 am.
Official programme includes meetings and symbolic visits
On Tuesday morning, Guterres will meet President Christodoulides, followed by a meeting with Erhürman at 11:45 am.
Later in the day, the UN chief will lay a wreath at the Peacekeepers Memorial outside the Ledra Palace Hotel before visiting the laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) at 4:00 pm.
He will then meet the negotiators, the heads of the Technical Committees and representatives of civil society.
In the evening, Guterres will attend a private dinner with the two leaders at the residence of the Special Representative, Colin Stewart, at Nicosia Airport.
Joint meeting and press conference on Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, the UN Secretary-General will hold a joint meeting with President Christodoulides and Erhürman at Nicosia Airport.
The meeting will be followed by a press conference, where Guterres is expected to address the outcome of the discussions and the next steps in the UN-led efforts on the Cyprus issue.
Government cautiously optimistic
On Saturday, Deputy Government Spokesperson Yiannis Antoniou said the Government remained “cautiously optimistic” while acknowledging that progress would be difficult.
Speaking at a memorial event organised by the Assia Community Council to mark the anniversaries of the 1974 coup and the Turkish invasion, Antoniou said the Government was making constructive use of the current diplomatic momentum with the aim of restarting meaningful negotiations leading to a viable and functional settlement.
He reiterated that the Republic of Cyprus would not accept or legitimise the consequences of the Turkish invasion or the island’s division, stressing that ending the occupation, achieving liberation and reunifying Cyprus remain the Government’s highest priorities.
Antoniou added that sustained diplomatic initiatives had helped generate renewed momentum on the Cyprus issue and described Guterres’ visit as particularly significant.
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