Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias will hold a meeting tomorrow with the UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide.
The meeting will be held at 3 pm Tuesday in Athens. The Cyprus News Agency (CNA) has been told by a high-ranked official in the Foreign Ministry, that this meeting, the first for 2016, takes place in a climate of “intense negotiations” between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Recently, reports mainly in the foreign media appear to suggest that “developments look optimistic” and they do not rule out the possibility for a solution to the 41 year old Cyprus problem within 2016.
“The negotiations are at an intense stage. The Cyprus problem does not have the luxury of having holidays”, a diplomatic source in Athens said when asked by CNA whether a solution is really close.
Kotzias is expected to be briefed by Eide on the UN’s view regarding the course of the negotiations between the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. Their talks, according to information, will focus especially on the issue of the guarantor powers – Greece, Turkey and Great Britain.
Ankara has stated clearly that its role should be maintained in Cyprus even after a solution.
Nikos Kotzias has stated from the beginning that Athens does not agree with this “unacceptable and anachronistic arrangement”, meaning the existence of the 3 guarantor powers.