There are indications of positive developments on the Cyprus issue, President Nikos Christodoulides said Monday, noting that contacts are taking place in New York away from the public eye and that the Cyprus side is ready to support UN Secretary-General’s efforts.
In press statements following his meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan in New York, President Christodoulides said that positive developments could not be ruled out, as ‘from the very first moment we arrived here, we have seen several meetings taking place, which I would describe as behind-the-scenes meetings, that are not coming to light.’
He said the objective, with all the parties involved present in New York this week, is to create the conditions for positive developments, which ‘cannot be anything other than an announcement on the resumption of talks from where they left off at Crans-Montana, through an expanded conference.’
The President of the Republic said the contacts currently under way are also an indication of the personal interest of the UN Secretary-General, something which, he noted, the Cyprus side welcomes and supports.
‘I truly believe […] that if there is political will, we can achieve this objective, and I am pleased because this is also something that the Secretary-General himself wants. We see him pursuing it through specific actions. We are here to support his efforts and let us hope that we will reach a positive outcome,’ he said.
Referring to his meeting with King Abdullah II, the President described it as a ‘very interesting discussion,’ particularly with regard to regional developments.
He noted that Cyprus and Jordan work closely together as two countries that maintain dialogue with all neighbouring states, with the aim of creating conditions of security, stability and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East.
President Christodoulides also referred to the joint Cyprus-Jordan initiative to establish a regional firefighting centre in Cyprus and thanked the King for Jordan’s presence in Cyprus.
He said the two sides also exchanged views on how Cyprus, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon could cooperate on specific projects, mainly in the field of connectivity, with the aim of also strengthening connectivity in the wider region.
Regional developments and Turkey’s role in the broader Middle East were also discussed during the meeting.
The President of the Republic noted that the meeting with the King of Jordan follows contacts with the President of Egypt and the visit of the President of Israel to Cyprus, while he added that the Foreign Minister will hold a series of meetings with Foreign Ministers from countries in the region.
The objective, he said, is to build on the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU in order to create conditions for further cooperation towards the common goal of ‘stability, security and cooperation in the region.’
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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.