President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman held their 11th meeting since October as efforts continue to resume negotiations on a Cyprus settlement.
The two-hour meeting took place under UN auspices in the UN-controlled buffer zone, ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York. The meeting was their final face-to-face contact before the General Assembly, according to previous announcements.
Focus on methodology and confidence-building measures
According to a statement issued by the United Nations, the two leaders had a “good discussion” on confidence-building measures, the methodology for the talks and the substance of the negotiations.
The leaders are expected to brief UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the progress made and discuss the next steps.
The meeting follows regular contacts between Christodoulides and Erhürman aimed at continuing substantive discussions on the Cyprus issue.
Discussions ahead of New York
Before the meeting, Christodoulides said he was ready to participate in an expanded conference whenever the UN Secretary-General considers the conditions appropriate.
He also said he planned to table 19 specific points covering the substance of the Cyprus issue, negotiating methodology and confidence-building measures.
The talks come after Guterres said there would be no 3+1 or 5+1 meeting on Cyprus on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, stressing that further preparation was needed to create prospects for an outcome.
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