A meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, scheduled for 2 September, has been postponed following the deadly ferry disaster that occurred off the coast of Kyrenia on Sunday.
The decision was taken in the wake of the maritime tragedy, which has prompted a major mobilisation by the Turkish Cypriot authorities and dominated public attention in recent days.
Planned talks delayed
The meeting had been agreed during the leaders' most recent lengthy discussions at Nicosia's old airport, as part of ongoing contacts on the Cyprus issue.
It was regarded as an important step in efforts to sustain momentum towards the reactivation of the negotiation process after a prolonged period of stagnation.
Agenda included confidence-building measures
Issues expected to be discussed included:
- Confidence-building measures.
- The opening of new crossing points.
- Demining initiatives.
- Broader aspects of the Cyprus settlement process.
New date not yet announced
No new date has yet been announced for the meeting.
The two sides are expected to reschedule the talks at a later stage after the immediate response to the ferry disaster has concluded.
