Nicosia is awaiting official information from the UN on a proposed meeting between the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on the issue of the crossing points, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), noting that January 20th and 21st are dates proposed by the Greek Cypriot side.
Replying to a question from CNA about UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary Di Carlo’s arrival, Letymbiotis said that there is no information on the exact date, noting that the UN official’s visit to Cyprus is not a prerequisite for the leaders’ meeting on the issue of the new crossing points.
Asked about a meeting of a group of lawyers for the Cyprus issue, the Spokesperson said that it is a group of legal advisors and technocrats, under the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which has already met twice and is set to be expanded in the near future with the addition of other individuals.
Letymbiotis also said that the Greek Cypriot negotiator, Menelaos Menelaou, is in New York and is making contacts in light of the UN reports on Cyprus but also in preparation for the multilateral conference, to be held possibly in March.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
On October 15, 2024, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hosted an informal dinner with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in New York, encouraging “the leaders to consider how to bridge the gap in their positions and rebuild trust to allow movement leading to a settlement.”
At the meeting, President Christodoulides and Tatar agreed to have an informal meeting in a broader format in the near future, under the auspices of the Secretary-General, to discuss the way forward. They also agreed to have a meeting in Cyprus to explore the possibility of opening new crossings, which is still pending.
Also read: Viable Cyprus solution remains the government’s unwavering goal
Source: CNA
