Yiannis Ioannou
Statements by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, before leaving the Presidential Palace for his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, are seen by experienced observers as deliberate rather than coincidental.
The President said he is optimistic and is approaching the meeting with the political will to explore every possible option. At the same time, he offered a realistic perspective, highlighting what has already been clear for some time. The April 6 meeting does not put negotiations on the Cyprus issue back on track, although it also does not signal a dead end.
Speaking to journalists as he left the Presidential Palace, the President described the meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader as a continuation of his recent meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres in Brussels. He said that meeting was especially constructive and encouraging for the next steps, with the main goal being the resumption of talks.
“I am going primarily to discuss and exchange views on everything I discussed with the UN Secretary General,” he said, adding that “if the Turkish Cypriot leader wishes to raise any issues, I will gladly discuss them.”
One positive outcome from the meeting is that the two leaders plan to meet again at the end of the month, and there may be announcements, especially regarding confidence building measures.
Meeting held in a positive atmosphere
Christodoulides and Erhürman were received shortly after 4:30 PM at the residence of the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, accompanied by their negotiators on the Cyprus issue.
This was their first meeting following their separate meetings with UN Secretary General António Guterres. As previously reported, the meeting was expected to allow both sides to communicate their positions while also revisiting progress on smaller issues related to the Cyprus problem, especially stalled confidence building measures and their implementation.
The meeting is also seen as a way for each side to manage timing. The Turkish Cypriot leader is expected to raise the four preconditions he has set for continuing the process, along with the issue that arose on April 1 involving allegations of an attack by the Greek Cypriot side against the Turkish Cypriot side near the Markos Drakos roundabout in Nicosia.
The Greek Cypriot side remains firm in its position in favor of a solution within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions, a stance that was reaffirmed during the last informal trilateral meeting with António Guterres.
According to sources, the Turkish Cypriot leader is also seeking Turkish Cypriot participation in any future discussions about the British Bases in Cyprus. This issue was raised recently by the President following a drone incident in Akrotiri.
They will meet again at the end of April
President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman agreed to meet again by the end of April in order to make more concrete announcements, according to a UN statement issued after their meeting in the buffer zone in Nicosia.
They also welcomed the continued engagement of the UN Secretary General on the Cyprus issue and reaffirmed their readiness to support his efforts.
According to the UN statement, the leaders had a constructive discussion in a positive atmosphere. They exchanged views on key issues and discussed the path forward.
They also reviewed progress on confidence building initiatives and instructed their representatives to continue discussions aimed at resolving the remaining issues.
Finally, the leaders agreed to meet again by the end of April with the goal of making more specific announcements, the statement concluded.
