President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, expressed on Friday cautious optimism about positive developments on the Cyprus issue, referring to his meeting earlier at the Presidential Palace with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to an Elderly Care Home in Kaimakli, Nicosia, Christodoulides was asked whether he believed progress could be made on the Cyprus issue, as Holguin said after their meeting that an expanded meeting could be held by the end of the year if progress is achieved.
‘Of course I believe progress can be made,’ Christodoulides said, describing their meeting as ‘very good’. He said they had discussed the 19 points submitted by the Greek Cypriot side, along with other ideas that could lead to positive developments and pave the way for the resumption of talks from where they were interrupted in the summer of 2017.
He added that “based on the discussion that took place, I am cautiously optimistic. It would be beneficial to have more than the single meeting that has already been scheduled with the Turkish Cypriot leader. This was a message I also conveyed to Holguin, and we should now await her meeting on Monday with the Turkish Cypriot leader to see how we proceed. I believe, I repeat, based on the discussion we had, I can justifiably say that I am cautiously optimistic.”
Asked whether the issue of convergences had been discussed during his meeting with Holguin, Christodoulides said he did not wish to disclose any details of the discussions.
‘I do not want to say anything about the substance. We are at a critical juncture, with critical processes underway. Let us focus on the fact that, based on what was discussed, we are justifiably cautiously optimistic and hope that this cautious optimism will translate into tangible positive results,’ he said.
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.