Α working group at the level of deputies, established by the Conference on Cyprus which convened in Geneva last week, wrapped up on Wednesday its first day of talks in Mont-Pelerin Switzerland on security and guarantees, which are crucial aspects of the Cyprus issue.
CNA has learned that their discussions focused on identifying questions as regards the issue under discussion that need to be addressed. The experts will meet again on Thursday at 0900 local time. Their talks are expected to last until Friday, 20 January.
The group comprises experts from the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot side, the three guarantor powers – Greece, UK and Turkey – and the EU.
The Conference on Cyprus which convened on January 12 in Geneva, under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, with the participation of Cyprus leaders` Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom as guarantor powers and in the presence of the European Union as an observer, decided to establish a working group at the level of deputies with the task to identify specific questions and the instruments needed to address them.
Moreover it decided that the Conference will continue on political level immediately thereafter to review the outcome of the working group’s discussions and that in parallel, the negotiations on outstanding issues in the other chapters will continue between the two sides in Cyprus.
The UN hosted the Conference on Cyprus last week, as part of continuing efforts to solve the Cyprus problem and reunite the country, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.
