Statements by the President of the Republic of Cyprus after the dinner with the UN Secretary General and the leader of the Turkish Cypriots in New York

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16/10/24 10:18 | Press release | President of the Republic / Presidency

The President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr Nikos Christodoulides attended a dinner yesterday, 15^th of October 2024, with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General (SG), Mr António Guterres, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr Ersin Tatar, at the UN headquarters in New York.

After the dinner, the President of the Republic of Cyprus made the following statement: “First and foremost, I would like to publicly thank the UN Secretary-General for undertaking this significant initiative amidst two wars –in Ukraine and in the Middle East– to host this informal dinner, as well as for his remarks during his opening statements on how he perceives a solution to the Cyprus problem as being feasible.

An open discussion took place, that was constructive on some points. I did not hear anything new from Mr Tatar. I want to be honest, and also, I am pleased that the SG has decided that these informal meetings should be continued in an extended format, as has been the case in the past. At the same time, in a number of proposals we submitted for Confidence Building Measures, it was agreed that there will be a meeting with Mr Tatar in Cyprus, in order to explore the possibility of opening new crossing points. We continue with an effort, which for a long time was at rest in relation to the Cyprus problem. I reiterate, I am pleased with the initiative of the SG.

We are here, we are very well aware of what we are aiming for, what we are pursuing, and we hope that there will be a positive outcome towards the resumption of the talks. We are not there yet. I wish to make it clear, these are informal meetings taking place both tonight and the ones to follow, and I hope they will lead to the resumption of talks”.

Asked about the meaning of meetings in an extended format, the President of the Republic of Cyprus clarified: “In an extended format, as was the case in the past, with the participation of the guarantor powers”.

In replying to a journalist’s question whether the extended meeting would take place with the participation of the three guarantor powers President Christodoulides stated: “Of course, there are three guarantor powers. And the stance both of the Hellenic government and the UK, where I was there yesterday [14 October], as you are aware of, is that certainly they will participate in such a meeting, as was the case in the past”. He added that these meetings “are of an informal nature, to explore the prospects for the resumption of talks”.

When asked whether the presence of the guarantor powers implies a discussion of issues related to the international aspect, President Christodoulides stated: “Of course, of all issues. Precisely, within the context of the discussion we had tonight, I raised all those issues, which as you may realise [are of particular importance] for the Greek Cypriot side. All issues are important, some of them are of particular importance”, Mr Christodoulides said.

Asked whether the issue of equality in sovereignty has been dealt with,the President of the Republic of Cyprus stated: “No, it has not been overcome. There has been no progress on substantive issues. I did not hear anything different from Mr Tatar, and of course, I responded to the particular issues he has raised, which are well-known to the public. It is what he says in public”.

With regard to the next steps, the President stated: “The SG will conduct some soundings and he will inform us. No specific date or timeline has been set tonight”.

When asked about the issues to be discussed during the informal meetings, the President of the Republic of Cyprus stated: “All the issues, just like we addressed tonight in relation to the Cyprus problem, the negotiations on the Cyprus problem, without, I repeat, moving on to negotiations”.

Asked to comment whether the discussions will resume from the point they were left off in Crans-Montana, President Christodoulides stated: “This is our stand, which I have reiterated tonight, the importance of safeguarding the negotiation acquis, the six points of the SG. From that point on, our interventions were made within this context. The SG made some suggestions, which were not accepted by the Turkish Cypriot leader. I will not go into details. I am not here for a blame game or to publicly comment on these issues. Let us see the positive points, such as the continuation of this informal effort. I hope the dialogue in relation to the opening of crossing points will yield results. We made specific proposals tonight on this matter, as well as other Confidence Building Measures. There was no response tonight. He said they should be discussed in Cyprus”.

When asked about Ms Holguín’s future, President Christodoulides stated: “It was a topic of discussion. We would like to see Ms Holguín’s efforts continue, and what I can say is that, certainly, someone will have a leading role in these informal meetings, the extended ones or with Mr Tatar”. He added: “I cannot say what the SG will do. I repeat, someone will have a leading role with regard to the Cyprus problem, apart from the SG who is handling so many issues”.

When asked to comment on the statements made by Mr Tatar that Ms Holguín has completed her mission in Cyprus and failed, the President stated: “This is Mr. Tatar’s assessment. I do not wish to comment. I repeat, either Ms Holguín or another person, someone will have a leading role in this effort, to prepare, for instance, this informal extended meeting, if new meetings with Mr Tatar will take place, and so on”.

(MS/IA)

Statements by the President of the Republic of Cyprus after the dinner with the UN Secretary General and the leader of the Turkish Cypriots in New York

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