President Nikos Christodoulides is presiding over a meeting of the National Council, his top advisory body on the Cyprus issue, on his recent contacts in NYC with UNSG Antonio Guterres and his personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin. The meeting is set to begin at 930 local time.
On Tuesday the President said that are difficulties, problems and challenges, which we don’t overlook, but in no case is there a stalemate in the Cyprus problem. He also said that efforts are being made on the part of the EU in the direction of Turkey, as the Turkish side insists on a two-state solution.
Moreover, negotiator Menelaos Menelaou said that UNSG has in his mind specific moves for the next period.
Holguin is expected to visit the island in October.
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.