Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides said on Tuesday that the Greek Cypriot side was demonstrating its commitment to progress on the Cyprus issue, expressing hope for positive results from his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman.
Speaking before departing from the Presidential Palace for a meeting with Erhrman, in the UN-protected area of Nicosia airport, President Christodoulides said he would present a new proposal on crossing points in an effort to break the deadlock.
The talks would also focus on a proposal concerning the fenced-off area of Famagusta and direct trade, which he described as mutually beneficial, as well as the Greek Cypriot side’s proposed methodology for advancing confidence-building measures and resuming negotiations.
President Christodoulides noted that one of the 19 proposals he had submitted had been accepted, while the two leaders were due to meet separately later today with the Technical Committees on Youth and Cultural Heritage, as well as the Advisory Body on Civil Society.
He said the Greek Cypriot side had repeatedly put forward new ideas and proposals to promote progress, expressing hope that the meeting would yield positive results ahead of the expected visit of the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy.
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.