US Special Representative for the Cyprus issue Raffaele Fitto is expected to hold meetings in Athens and Ankara in the coming days, while, according to well-informed sources, he is not expected to travel to New York during the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly.
Fitto’s contacts in Athens and Ankara are part of efforts to support the Cyprus reunification efforts and come ahead of the next contacts between the two sides.
UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, is expected to travel to New York during the High-Level Week of the General Assembly.
As regards President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides’ programme in New York, preparations are underway, according to sources, for a number of meetings. Among others, the President is expected to meet with the UN Secretary-General.
Meanwhile, Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou and Turkish Cypriot leader’s special representative Mehmet Dana held a substantive meeting on Monday afternoon, according to well-informed sources who spoke to CNA.
The Menelaou-Dana meeting covered substantive issues, the methodology of the talks and confidence-building measures.
The meeting was held in preparation for the new meeting between President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, which will take place on Thursday, September 17, at 11 am.
This will be the third meeting between the two leaders since UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres left Cyprus in late July. Guterres had called on the two sides to make progress on confidence-building measures, the methodology of the talks and substantive issues.
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. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.
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.