President Nikos Christodoulides said the Greek Cypriot side was demonstrating its commitment to progress on the Cyprus issue, expressing hope for positive results from his Tuesday meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman.
Speaking before leaving the Presidential Palace for the meeting in the UN-protected area of Nicosia airport, Christodoulides said he would put forward a new proposal on crossing points in an effort to break the deadlock.
He said the proposal was one of several alternatives he had presented to secure progress, adding that he was awaiting a response from the Turkish Cypriot side.
Three priorities for the meeting
Christodoulides said the first part of the meeting would focus on three issues included in the 19 proposals he had submitted.
The first concerns crossing points, with the President presenting a new alternative intended to help resolve the outstanding differences.
The second involves the fenced-off area of Famagusta and direct trade. Christodoulides described the proposal as mutually beneficial, saying it could create positive conditions for both communities and test their willingness to take bolder confidence-building measures.
The third concerns the methodology for advancing confidence-building measures and resuming Cyprus reunification talks. Christodoulides said he had presented this proposal to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Secretary-General’s personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín, in New York. He had also shared it with Erhürman.
The President said he hoped the discussions would produce positive results.
Technical committees and civil society
Christodoulides also welcomed the acceptance of one of the 19 proposals, which would allow joint meetings with the Technical Committees on Youth and Cultural Heritage, followed by a meeting with the Advisory Body on Civil Society.
He said the proposal to establish the civil society advisory body had originated from the Greek Cypriot side.
The President also recalled that the idea of a Technical Committee on Youth was first proposed by UN official Rosemary DiCarlo during her 2023 visit to Cyprus. The Greek Cypriot side accepted it immediately, he said, while the Turkish Cypriot side agreed two years later.
Pyroi and Mia Milia proposal remains unresolved
Christodoulides referred to an alternative proposal put forward by the UN Secretary-General concerning Pyroi–Athienou and Mia Milia.
He said Guterres had raised the proposal during an earlier bilateral meeting in Cyprus and had subsequently shared it with Erhürman. Christodoulides had expected an announcement during the leaders’ dinner, but said the proposal had not been accepted by the Turkish Cypriot side.
He described it as a reasonable compromise that the Greek Cypriot side had accepted.
Asked whether the new proposal on crossing points would replace the issue of Kokkina, Christodoulides declined to comment before receiving a response.
He said the Greek Cypriot side continued to put forward proposals and new ideas in an effort to create momentum, adding that he hoped for progress ahead of Holguín’s upcoming visit to Cyprus.
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