Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, held a bilateral meeting with the UN Secretary – General, Antonio Guterres in Geneva on Tuesday afternoon, in the framework of the 5+1 informal meeting on Cyprus which Guterres convened for April 27-29. The bilateral meeting lasted for one hour and 45 minutes.
The meeting began at 1800 local time and wrapped up at 1945. Guterres had previously a bilateral meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.
On behalf of the UN the meeting was attended, except from Guterres, by his Special Envoy on Cyprus, Jane Holl Lute, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, his Special Representative in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar and other UN officers. President Anastasiades was accompanied at the meeting by negotiator, Andreas Mavroyiannis, the Director of the President`s Diplomatic Office Kyriakos Kouros, the legal advisor at the negotiating team, Constantinos Kombos, the member of the negotiator`s office Adrianos Kyriakides and the member of the President`s Diplomatic Office, Pantelis Pantelides.
After his meeting with the UNSG, Anastasiades met, on the sidelines of the informal meeting on Cyprus, with the Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias.
Tonight the UNSG hosts a reception for the parties taking place in the informal meeting, that will be attended by the heads and two members of each delegation. Anastasiades will be accompanied by Mavroyiannis and Kouros.
After that the President will inform the members of the National Council about the meetings he had on Tuesday in Geneva, according to a press release issued by the Presidency.
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 UN Secretary-General invited all parties involved to attend an informal five-plus-one meeting on the Cyprus issue in Geneva, Switzerland, from 27 to 29 April 2021.