Christodoulides and Erhurman agree to weekly Cyprus talks
The two leaders will meet weekly to seek progress needed for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to convene an enlarged Cyprus meeting.
Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman agreed on Wednesday to hold weekly meetings aimed at securing progress for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to convene an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem.
The meeting at the UN good offices mission in Nicosia’s buffer zone lasted almost three hours.
More frequent meetings
A joint statement issued after the meeting said the two leaders had agreed to intensify their contacts, meeting once a week and more frequently if circumstances require.
No explicit progress was made on confidence-building measures between the island’s two sides. It is hoped that the more frequent meetings may produce progress in the coming weeks and months.
UN conditions
Following Guterres’ visit to Cyprus last month, Erhurman called for weekly leaders’ meetings to achieve what the UN Secretary-General described as “adequate progress” on confidence-building measures, the meeting methodology and the substance of the talks.
Erhurman described the matter as “homework”.
UN Cyprus problem envoy Maria Angela Holguin said the implementation of confidence-building measures was an “indispensable condition” before an enlarged meeting could take place.
“Confidence-building measures should not be seen merely as symbolic steps which improve the atmosphere between the two communities, but rather as practical tools which test the viability of a future political order,” she told Turkey’s Anka news agency.
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