Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis has called for tangible progress on the Cyprus problem ahead of Tuesday’s meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman.
Speaking on Thursday, Letymbiotis said he expected the meeting to include a thorough discussion of the next steps, stressing that progress should follow in the immediate future.
“If we mean it, there must be tangible steps of progress in the immediate future,” he said.
Government defends Christodoulides’ 19 proposals
Letymbiotis was also asked about the 19 new points submitted by Christodoulides at the leaders’ previous meeting.
He said the proposals were intended to support efforts to resume substantive negotiations on the Cyprus problem as far as possible.
According to the spokesman, the 19 points address all three pillars identified by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: confidence-building measures, the methodology of the talks and their substance.
During his visit to Cyprus in July, Guterres said an enlarged meeting would be convened only after adequate progress had been achieved on these three issues.
Erhurman has criticised Christodoulides’ proposals, describing them as an obstacle to progress. He argued that, rather than expanding the existing agenda, the sides should focus on the seven points previously discussed, warning that he could otherwise submit 29 points at a subsequent meeting.
Responding to the criticism, Letymbiotis said rejecting proposals without discussing them would not help move the process forward.
UN-led meeting remains a government priority
Letymbiotis reiterated the government’s view that a joint meeting attended by the UN secretary-general would be extremely helpful.
Erhurman, however, has said such a meeting should take place only if there is a prospect of reaching agreement on at least one confidence-building measure.
The positions underline the continuing differences between the two sides over the conditions needed to advance the Cyprus settlement process.
Letymbiotis responds to EU letter dispute
The spokesman also addressed a letter sent by the European Commission to Erhurman in response to concerns he had raised about initiatives by the Greek Cypriot side seeking the cancellation of international events organised by Turkish Cypriots.
Letymbiotis said Erhurman’s public announcement had not reproduced the Commission’s response in its entirety.
Defending the Greek Cypriot side’s actions, he said the Republic of Cyprus was acting to protect its interests in what he described as a semi-occupied homeland.
Asked whether the Greek Cypriot side would be informed of the letter’s contents, Letymbiotis referred to Christodoulides’ meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of Wednesday’s Med9 summit.
“The EU and the Republic of Cyprus are one and the same, and the actions, the deeds, the positions of the Republic of Cyprus are the positions of the EU,” he said.
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