President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman meet again today, with the President saying he hopes the talks will produce positive news, possibly including the opening of a new crossing point. The meeting is scheduled for 11am in the UN-protected area of the disused Nicosia airport. It comes ahead of a visit to Cyprus in October by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín, and a planned three-way meeting with both leaders.
UN statement after last week’s meeting
According to a UN press release following the leaders’ meeting last week, “they agreed to meet next week to continue their discussions”, adding that “the two leaders look forward to the upcoming visit of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín”.
The leaders also agreed to jointly attend upcoming meetings of:
- the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage
- the Technical Committee on Youth
- the Steering Committee of the Civil Society Consultative Body
President hopes for positive developments
President Christodoulides said he is going to the meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader with a sole objective: positive developments.
“I truly hope that tomorrow we will have positive news to announce,” he said on Monday.
Possible new crossing point
Asked whether an announcement on the opening of a new crossing point would be made, he replied: “I certainly hope so.”
The President said the Greek Cypriot side is ready, should there be a positive response, to proceed with such an announcement, as well as to address other issues raised by the Secretary-General, namely substance, methodology and confidence-building measures.
Asked about the other side’s stance, he said he did not wish to speak on its behalf, adding that Mr Erhürman has spoken publicly and expressed his views.
“I have already commented on his interview; let us wait and see what happens tomorrow, and we will be here after the meeting to discuss it further,” he said.
Holguín due in October
The President said a three-way meeting between himself, the Turkish Cypriot leader and Ms Holguín will take place in October.
He said discussions are under way and that possible dates have already been proposed for Ms Holguín’s arrival and for a joint meeting with the two leaders. The Greek Cypriot side has responded positively, he added, and he assumes the same applies to the Turkish Cypriot side.
Asked about the exact date of her arrival, he said the UN will officially announce it, but that the Personal Envoy is due to arrive sometime in October.
Background
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 produce a settlement. The latest round of negotiations, held in July 2017 at Crans-Montana in Switzerland, ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose term is nearing its end, has announced that he will convene another meeting in a broader format, after adequate preparation, but has given no timeline. He secured the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers to that end. Ms Holguín is tasked with engaging with the parties.
European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto serves as the Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.
