There is no alternative to resolving the Cyprus issue, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said on Tuesday evening after a dinner with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, in Nicosia, expressing hope that Wednesday would bring positive developments.
He also expressed satisfaction with the discussion they had over dinner, saying he was encouraged by the fact that the Secretary-General "is so strongly politically committed to this effort."
Speaking to journalists after returning to the Presidential Palace, following the dinner held by Guterres for the two leaders at the residence of his special representative in Cyprus at the Nicosia airport in the UN Buffer zone, Christodoulides said the discussion covered “all issues”, including the substance of the Cyprus problem, methodology, convergences, a meeting in a broader format, and confidence-building measures.
“It was a good, open and sincere discussion”, he said, adding that talks would continue Wednesday morning to secure concrete announcements.
The President expressed satisfaction that Guterres remained “politically committed” to the effort, saying the UN chief had reiterated that commitment during the dinner.
Asked whether differences between the two sides had resurfaced, President Christodoulides said that there had been differing approaches on some issues, but said the discussion had been frank and comprehensive, with arguments and counterarguments exchanged.
“It was a focused discussion covering the full range of issues because we want the Secretary-General to be in a position to make specific announcements”, he said.
Responding to questions about whether any announcements might concern confidence-building measures, President Christodoulides said the discussions extended well beyond that, covering all aspects of the Cyprus issue.
Asked whether announcements could be expected on all these issues, he replied: “That is the goal”.
“We are approaching these meetings with that objective. I want to remain optimistic that there will be announcements”, he said, adding that Guterres’ intentions were “clear”. The President also pointed to growing international engagement, citing both the United Nations and the European Union. He noted that the EU’s Special Representative for Cyprus Raffaele Fitto was due to visit Cyprus in the coming days, adding that the combined international effort was aimed at restarting negotiations from where they left off in 2017, adding that he was “ready for all that we discussed to get under way as soon as tomorrow”.
Asked whether he viewed the outcome of Tuesday’s talks positively, the President said he was satisfied with the discussion but preferred to wait until Wednesday before drawing conclusions.
Reflecting on developments since taking office in March 2023, President Christodoulides said there had been significant progress in terms of international interest and the level of engagement on the Cyprus issue.
“For us, there is no alternative to resolving the Cyprus issue”, he said. “We know what we want, we know where we want to end up, we know the tools we are using, and they are producing results. I hope to hear positive developments and positive outcomes from the Secretary-General tomorrow”, he added.
Guterres is to hold a joint meeting with the two leaders at 10am on Wednesday and will hold a press conference after the meeting.
