Nicosia, Cyprus. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ planned visit to Cyprus on July 27-29 is a significant step in efforts to create conditions for restarting negotiations on the Cyprus problem.
Visit aimed at advancing talks
Speaking to CyBC radio on Friday, Letymbiotis said the visit would be the first by a UN secretary-general to Cyprus in 16 years and was not ceremonial.
He said Guterres’ objective was to help prepare the ground for an informal expanded conference on Cyprus. According to Letymbiotis, the visit also sends a message to those who have invested in continued deadlock and the preservation of the status quo.
Prospects for an informal conference
Letymbiotis said an informal multilateral conference could take place before the end of the summer if Turkey adopts a constructive approach and abandons its demand for a two-state solution.
He said the purpose of such a meeting would be to restart negotiations from the point at which they were suspended.
Framework for future negotiations
Addressing reports of possible new ideas for resolving the Cyprus issue, Letymbiotis said any future talks must remain based on the framework established by United Nations Security Council resolutions and on the principles, values and legal order of the European Union.
He also confirmed that President Nikos Christodoulides will convene political party leaders before Guterres’ arrival to brief them on recent developments.
The United Nations announced on Thursday that Guterres will visit Cyprus from July 27 to 29 as diplomatic efforts continue to establish conditions for the resumption of formal negotiations over the island’s decades-long division.