Nicosia, Cyprus. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem could still be convened during the summer, rejecting reports that such a prospect was remote.
He said any informal multilateral meeting should lead to an announcement on the resumption of negotiations aimed at resolving the Cyprus problem.
Prospects for a meeting
Letymbiotis said the government had no information suggesting that an enlarged meeting had only a remote chance of taking place during the summer.
“If there is a will, and if there is the sincere intention to convene an informal multilateral meeting, there is time to arrange an informal multilateral meeting,” he said.
He added that the Greek Cypriot side was not seeking a meeting solely for its own sake, but one that would result in the resumption of negotiations toward a definitive resolution.
Letymbiotis said it was now up to Turkey to demonstrate determination and a sincere intention to act constructively.
EU contacts after Ankara summit
Asked whether President Nikos Christodoulides had received information from the European Union concerning last week’s Nato leaders’ summit in Ankara, Letymbiotis said he had.
He said European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen contacted Christodoulides early in the morning after meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the summit.
According to Letymbiotis, the two EU leaders informed Christodoulides on their own initiative and an exchange of views followed. He said statements by Turkey and the United Nations showed Turkey’s interest in developing Europe-Turkey relations.
He said European institutions had again made clear that progress in relations between Europe and Turkey passes through the Cyprus issue, which he described as a European rather than solely national problem.
UN envoy’s contacts
Letymbiotis also referred to United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin’s ongoing contacts, including her planned meeting with Costa on Monday.
He also noted that about 25 leaders of states in the Coalition of the Willing, which have pledged support for Ukraine, were due to gather in Paris the same day.
