President Nikos Christodoulides said he hopes next week’s meeting in New York with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar will lead to positive results.
The meeting, scheduled for October 15, is part of ongoing efforts to restart negotiations on the Cyprus problem, which have been at an impasse for several years.
“I am going to New York with one and only goal, for this meeting to lead to positive results,” Christodoulides said, adding that the Greek Cypriot side is fully prepared for the meeting.
The president made the comments while attending the opening ceremony of the Digital Agenda Cyprus Summit 2024, where he responded to questions from journalists about whether the Greek Cypriot side had been approached to soften its red lines to meet Tatar’s demands.
“No, we have not been approached, and we are not open to such approaches,” he said. “We are preparing for the meeting.”
Christodoulides also clarified that after consulting with him, Greek Cypriot chief negotiator Menelaos Menelaou will convene a meeting of the political party leaders involved in the Cyprus talks on Friday to exchange views, following up on discussions that took place during the last National Council on Monday.
He said that before meeting with the UN secretary-general, he would see the British prime minister which is important both for our bilateral relations but also for the Cyprus problem.
“I want this meeting to lead to positive results. From our side, I can say this is the only goal. This is not a slogan, I am speaking very specifically and given the very positive atmosphere of the discussion I had with the UN secretary-general when I was in New York, let’s hope there will be a response.”
When asked if the Greek Cypriot side was ready for further concessions beyond the confidence-building measures it has already taken unilaterally, should the secretary-general raise the issue, Christodoulides responded that “it is not appropriate, especially regarding the secretary-general, to comment on specific matters”.
“However, I can tell you that for any issue raised, the Greek Cypriot side will be ready to respond specifically.”
On whether the reactivation of UN special envoy Maria Angela Holguin was a realistic and positive scenario, the president declined to comment directly.
“We have a position, a specific stance on that and other matters that might be raised by the secretary-general or Tatar, as well as our own proposals, initiatives from our side.”
In the past weeks, Christodoulides has repeatedly stressed the importance of resuming meaningful negotiations on the Cyprus problem, while rejecting demands from the Turkish Cypriot side related to direct flights, trade, and contacts.
