The leaders and representatives of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties participating in the bi-communal meetings at the Ledra Palace Hotel met on 30 June and highly welcomed the opportunity to meet for the first time in person since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Joint Communiqué issued after the meeting, participants acknowledged that while the bi-communal meetings of the G/C and T/C political parties continued in the videoconference format also during the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic, physical meetings and presence are indispensable for the effectiveness and success of this confidence building exercise.
Participants also expressed their appreciation for the cooperation of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Health in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, it is addeed. “In this respect, they particularly welcomed the agreement on the re-opening of the crossing points. This joint decision constitutes an immensely important development that restores the ability of the two communities to communicate”.
It is stressed that participants further called on the leaders of the G/C and T/C communities to constructively and effectively engage with each other and with the United Nations in order to find agreement on common ground for a possible resumption of formal negotiations in relation to the settlement of the Cyprus problem on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions.
Depending on the epidemiological situation and measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the next regular meeting of the leaders and representatives of the political parties should be held on Wednesday on 29 September 2021 at the Ledra Palace Hotel.
