Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said preparatory work with the United Nations began on Friday to create the conditions for a successful expanded meeting on the Cyprus issue.
The work will continue throughout August at a technocratic level, he said on Saturday evening.
Preparations with the United Nations
Asked about the steps needed to hold an informal five-party conference, Christodoulides said he had met EU envoy for Cyprus Raffaelo Fitto on Friday and spoke with him again later that evening about the matters discussed.
“Since yesterday, we started at a technical level with the UN, and I imagine they have also started with all parties the preparatory work,” he said.
The president said the United Nations had already hired an academic constitutional expert who had been involved in the previous negotiation process.
Convergences and EU role
Christodoulides said it was positive that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had referred to convergences for the first time.
He has convened a National Council meeting on Monday to brief party leaders.
On his meeting with Fitto, Christodoulides said the European Union’s role did not concern the content of a settlement but could act as a safety valve on issues where there were differing views.
He said EU-Turkey relations were also discussed in detail, adding that readiness had been expressed and specific proposals and recommendations had been conveyed.
“We are doing everything we can to take advantage of the critical moment in the Cyprus issue,” he said.
Broader meeting
Following his visit to Cyprus this week, Guterres, whose term is nearing its end, said he would convene another meeting in a broader format if certain conditions were met, without giving a timeline.
He secured the consensus of both sides and the guarantor powers for that purpose.
