Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, and leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Ersin Tatar, are to discuss during their meeting on April 2, the outcome of the Geneva informal meeting on Cyprus, as well as the substance, on how to move forward ahead of the July meeting, Deputy Government Spokesperson, Yiannis Antoniou, told CNA on Monday.
Asked by CNA about what President Christodoulides and Tatar are expected to discuss on April 2, during their first meeting in Nicosia after the informal meeting on Cyprus held in Geneva last week, Antoniou said that they are to discuss the outcome of the Geneva meeting, the issue of crossing points and the other confidence-building measures, “but also the substance, on how to move forward ahead of the July meeting.”
“Our effort is to use this time creatively”, Antoniou said.
Asked to comment on reports on the appointment of the UNSG’s former personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, as the new personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Antoniou said it would be best to wait for the official UN announcement which, he said, was expected soon.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, announced last week after the conclusion of the informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format in Geneva that the two leaders agreed a group of initiatives “to build trust”, and more specifically, opening four crossing points, demining, the creation of a technical committee on youth, initiatives on the environment and climate change, including the impact on mining areas, solar energy in the buffer zone and the restoration of cemeteries.
He also said that it was agreed that an informal meeting would be held at the end of July in the same format as the one in March, while that he would appoint a personal envoy to prepare the next steps.
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. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.