Statements by the Government Spokesman following the meeting of the President of the Republic with the UN Secretary-General’s envoy on Cyprus

“If there is the same political will on the other side, the negotiations can resume very soon,” the Government Spokesman, Mr Konstantinos Letymbiotis, said today.

In his statements to journalists, following the meeting of the President of the Republic with the personal envoy of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General on Cyprus, Ms María Angela Holguín Cuéllar, at the Presidential Palace, the Spokesman stated, “The first meeting of the President of the Republic with the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy was concluded. During the meeting, the President of the Republic reiterated once again our readiness to resume the talks from where they had been interrupted, in accordance with the Security Council resolutions, on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation. We have reiterated our commitment to enter this new period with the appointment of the personal envoy with a sincere political will, to continue making useful contributions in order to create the conditions for the resumption of the talks. Ms Holguín has informed the President of the Republic about the meetings she will have in the next few days as well as her agenda, and there has been an exchange of views on the next steps which can be taken in order to resume negotiations.”

When asked about the contacts the UN Secretary-General’s envoy will have, Mr Letymbiotis replied, “Ms Holguín will have a meeting today with Mr Tatar and in the next few days she will have meetings with members of society, social groups throughout Cyprus, so that she can get a better overview, be informed by society itself about the situation as it is in Cyprus today.”

Asked whether Ms Holguín will have a new meeting with the President of the Republic or a joint meeting with the President of the Republic and the Turkish Cypriot leader, the Spokesman noted, “The President of the Republic has reiterated once again that he is willing, he is at the disposal of Ms Holguín both for a second and a third meeting before she leaves Cyprus and for a joint meeting with Mr Tatar. It is something that the President of the Republic has reiterated many times in the past.”

When asked if the President of the Republic had handed Ms Holguín a document, the Spokesman responded negatively.

Asked whether the President of the Republic had informed Ms Holguín about the actions of the occupying army in the buffer zone, the Spokesman replied, “Ms Holguín is well informed. She is informed both at UN level about all the events, about all the new developments, as well as at the level of negotiations, public statements, but also about the developments in our country.”

When asked if there will be a permanent presence of Ms Holguín’s associates in Cyprus, the Spokesman said, “This is the intention, that there will be a permanent presence of an associate of Ms Holguín in Cyprus, but that she will also make regular visits to Cyprus for a few days so that meetings can take place. That is what we had said from the outset, that we believe it will be beneficial to have this regular, frequent contact with Ms Holguín.”

Asked whether a timetable has been set for when it will become clear whether this effort is fruitful, the Spokesman responded, “There is no timetable nor timeframe. We certainly believe that if there is the same political will on the other side, the negotiations can resume very soon.”

When asked what the next steps are, the Spokesman stated, “After Ms Holguín completes her first meetings, there will be another meeting with the President of the Republic or a joint meeting with Mr Tatar, which she will decide, to see how we will proceed.”

Asked to reveal what the message conveyed by the UN Secretary General to Ms Holguín was, the Spokesman noted that her appointment as personal envoy was itself a message from the Secretary-General, adding that his message was “his commitment to the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, on the basis of Security Council resolutions.”

(GS/NG)

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