Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said on Monday he would contribute in good faith to ensure forthcoming Cyprus problem meetings involving United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are fruitful. He spoke after meeting UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin at his official residence.
Meeting with UN envoy
Erhurman described his meeting with Holguin as productive and said efforts would continue to support Guterres’ work ahead of meetings scheduled for the following two days.
Holguin said she had held a good meeting with Erhurman and stressed the importance of Guterres’ visit to the island.
She said the visit demonstrated Guterres’ commitment to Cyprus and his continued use of his good offices, noting that he has been involved in the Cyprus issue throughout his 10 years as secretary-general.
Guterres was coming to support efforts and explore the possibility of moving forward with a negotiating process, she said.
Holguin said her role on the island was to listen to the leaders and welcome the secretary-general during his visit.
Contacts with the two sides
Earlier on Monday, Holguin met President Nikos Christodoulides. She had previously travelled to Brussels and Ankara before returning to Cyprus.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said he hoped Guterres’ visit would serve as a stepping stone towards convening an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem.
Such a meeting would involve the two sides in Cyprus, the three guarantor powers—Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom—and the United Nations.
Letymbiotis said the lack of progress in recent years was mainly due to what he described as Turkish intransigence. He added that even a slight glimpse of hope or window of opportunity would be pursued.
Preparations for visit
Ahead of his arrival in Cyprus, Guterres held a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday.
Christodoulides also travelled to Athens, where he met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
