The Greek Cypriot side intensifies preparations ahead of the Geneva meetings between the leaders of the island`s two communities, in the context of the UN-sponsored peace talks for a Cyprus settlement, Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides has said.
Preparations for Geneva continue and will intensify even more until January 8, when Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades will depart for the Swiss capital, Christodoulides said on Monday.
Noting that preparations are made on three levels, the Spokesman said the first level concerns the meetings that will take place in Nicosia ahead of Geneva.
He expressed hope that these meetings will produce progress that would contribute to a positive outcome in Geneva.
As he explained, the second level relates to the meetings on January 9-11, when the two sides will be discussing the internal aspects of the Cyprus problem and will present maps. “It is very important that an exchange of maps takes place at last in the history of the Cyprus problem and we hope we will proceed to the stage,” he noted.
The third level, which he described as the most crucial, concerns the chapter of Security and Guarantees and will begin on January 12 with the conference on Cyprus, in the presence of the three guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey and the UK) as well as other relevant parties, as needed.
“Preparation by President Anastasiades is continuous with constant contacts with the Greek government and other participants with a view to creating the conditions which would allow us to look forward to a positive outcome,” the Spokesman noted.
Christodoulides told CNA last Saturday that the negotiators of the two sides will be meeting almost on a daily basis, whereas President Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are scheduled to hold two meetings on January 4 and 7. Anastasiades will also brief the National Council on January 5.
Anastasiades and Akinci have decided that the UN-sponsored talks will continue in Geneva, Switzerland. On 9-11 the two sides will discuss the remaining issues of the Cyprus problem and present maps concerning territorial adjustments, while on January 12 a conference on Cyprus will be convened with the participation of the guarantor powers as well as other relevant parties as needed.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. President Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci have been engaged in UN-backed talks since May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.
Nicosia intensifies preparation ahead of Cyprus Geneva meetings, Government Spokesman says
