Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides is ready to hold weekly meetings with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman to help achieve progress towards a new enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, presidential press office director Victor Papadopoulos said on Monday.
Speaking after a National Council meeting, Papadopoulos said Christodoulides was prepared to take any action that could support the resumption of negotiations and a resolution of the Cyprus problem.
UN parameters
Papadopoulos described as “very positive” comments made by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the end of his visit to Cyprus last week.
He said Guterres had stated that the effort was being conducted within United Nations parameters and on the basis of convergences and achievements from previous negotiations.
According to Papadopoulos, Guterres called on the sides to “cover the last mile”, indicating that negotiations should continue from where they stopped in the summer of 2017 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
International support
The reference to UN parameters followed expressions of support from Greece’s foreign ministry and Omer Celik, spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AK Party.
Greece’s foreign ministry said last Wednesday that resolving the Cyprus problem within the parameters set by the United Nations Security Council and reunifying the island remained a firm goal. Celik said the issues would continue to be discussed on the basis of diplomacy and UN parameters.
Preparations for enlarged meeting
Papadopoulos said Christodoulides had informed the National Council that he would be at the disposal of the United Nations throughout August.
He added that work had been underway since the day after Guterres’ meeting to support the secretary-general’s effort to convene an enlarged meeting as soon as possible.
Asked about a possible timetable, Papadopoulos said the United Nations had a specific plan and that Guterres considered the remaining time realistic for convening an enlarged meeting and resuming talks with prospects of success.
He said the preparatory stage should aim for a specific outcome: the resumption of negotiations.
