Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides has proposed three dates in February for a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Monday. Letymbiotis said there has so far been no response from the Turkish Cypriot side.
Proposed dates conveyed through negotiators
Letymbiotis told the Cyprus News Agency that all three proposed dates are within February and were conveyed to Erhurman through contacts between Greek Cypriot chief negotiator Menelaos Menelaou and Erhurman’s undersecretary Mehmet Dana.
UN role and lack of response
Letymbiotis said the meeting, if it takes place, would be hosted by United Nations special representative Khassim Diagne. He added that there has been no response from the Turkish Cypriot side. The Cyprus Mail said it contacted Erhurman’s office but had received no response.
Positions after tripartite talks
After Wednesday’s tripartite meeting with Erhurman and UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin, Christodoulides said the discussion would continue and that Erhurman had expressed readiness to meet without Holguin being present if she is not in Cyprus. Christodoulides said, “We will not wait for her to return.”
Erhurman later on Wednesday evening said that he and Christodoulides should “meet when Maria Angela is not here”.
No agreements and conditions for an enlarged meeting
Wednesday’s meeting ended without any agreements, with Holguin confirming afterwards that no enlarged meeting would be arranged as a result. “For the time being, there will be no new enlarged meeting,” she told journalists, adding that to arrange such a meeting, “we need results on the confidence-building measures”.
Holguin said, “I am waiting for something more,” and, asked whether Christodoulides and Erhurman had responded to her demand on Tuesday for more progress, she said, “I think they might. Not yet”.
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