Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides expressed on Thursday hope for the resumption of Cyprus talks, referring to a window of opportunity ahead of the completion of Secretary General’s term by the end of the year adding that “we really want more than anything else to reach a positive outcome.”
The President was speaking at the end of a meeting he had with India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, at the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia.
Responding to a question on the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy María Ángela Holguín, due to visit Cyprus next month, President Christodoulides said that consultations and preparations have been underway for some time and that “Holguín is coming in order to continue them, to further strengthened them.”
He also said that efforts have long been underway “with meetings and with contacts away from the spotlight so that the conditions are created to achieve the goal of resuming talks and I really hope that we will reach that goal.”
He stressed that the Secretary-General is fully committed and that “he is personally involved in this great effort” and expressed hope that there will be positive results.
Asked whether there is going to be a plan by the end of the year, he said that “an effort is being made as a first step of resuming talks that will lead to a result, a final outcome. We cannot discuss indefinitely.”
He added that there is this window of opportunity which is summed up in the completion of the Secretary General’s term by the end of the year and “we really want more than anything else to reach a positive outcome.”
In his remarks after the meeting with Jaishankar, the President said it was a follow-up to the meeting and discussion he had with the Prime Minister of India “and particularly on the corridor dimension, IMEC”.
He noted that “the various parts of this very important economic, geostrategic, political corridor have begun to be built” and expressed satisfaction that “we are moving towards implementation, towards concrete steps that will lead us to its gradual implementation.”
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.