Nicosia, Cyprus. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will arrive in Cyprus on Monday evening as part of efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, with the government saying it is “reservedly optimistic”.
He is scheduled to meet President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Tuesday, before holding a joint meeting with both leaders on Wednesday.
Programme of meetings
Earlier on Monday, UN Secretary-General’s special envoy Maria Angela Holguin will meet Christodoulides at 9.30am and Erhurman at 11am.
Guterres will begin his meetings on Tuesday with Christodoulides, followed by a meeting with Erhurman at 11.45am.
He will lay a wreath at the peacekeepers’ monument outside Ledra Palace and visit the laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons at 4pm. He will then meet negotiators, the heads of technical committees and representatives of civil society.
In the evening, Guterres will attend a private dinner with Christodoulides and Erhurman at the residence of UN special representative Khassim Diagne.
On Wednesday, he will hold a joint meeting with Christodoulides and Erhurman, followed by a press conference.
Government position
Deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said in a speech on Sunday that the government was “reservedly optimistic”.
“We remain realists and we know that the road ahead is long and difficult,” he said.
Parallel demonstrations
The Bi-communal Peace Initiative – United Cyprus has called for parallel demonstrations in north and south Nicosia on Tuesday, coinciding with Guterres’ visit.
The rallies, under the slogan “Federal Solution Now”, will begin at 6.30pm, when Guterres is due to host Christodoulides and Erhurman for dinner.
The demonstration in the south will take place on the access road to the UN representative’s office opposite the University of Nicosia, while the gathering in the north will be held at the Kermia (Metehan) roundabout.