The UN is awaiting the response of the Turkish Cypriot side, namely Güneş Onar, Special Representative of the Turkish Cypriot leader, regarding the meeting of the negotiators of the two sides in Cyprus which normally takes place every Thursday, in the presence of Colin Stewart, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus. Τhe negotiators are set to discuss the opening of new crossings.
Deputy Government Spokesperson, Yiannis Antoniou, told the Cyprus News Agency on Tuesday that depending on the results of this or other meetings of the two negotiators, asecond meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, will be scheduled.
Regarding the arrival of the UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo in Cyprus, the date is still expected to be finalized by the United Nations. It is recalled that Tatar had stated that he will have a meeting with DiCarlo on February 10.
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.
Christodoulides and Tatar met on January 20 at Stewart’s residence in the UN-controlled buffer zone, in Nicosia. As it was announced, they instructed “their Negotiator and the special representative to continue discussions and decided to meet again in the coming days.”
Also read: Tatar claims Christodoulides exceeded New York terms
Source: CNA
