President: Greek Cypriot side accepted proposal to open two crossing points, but move was not reciprocated (pics)

President Nikos Christodoulides said that the Greek Cypriot side accepted the Turkish Cypriot proposal to open crossing points in Mia Milia and Louroutzina during the 17 July expanded meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York, expecting that this measure of goodwill would be reciprocated; but it wasn't.

While there was quite a bit of discussion over opening, in return, a crossing point from Athienou village to Aglantzia, as well as another in Kokkina village, and "some progress" was achieved, he said, the Turkish Cypriot side was not in a position at the meeting to take final decisions since it needs the consent of the Turkish army; something which is also the case for a crossing point in the village of Kokkina. 

Departing the expanded meeting on Cyprus, participants said it was "constructive", "extremely productive" and yielded "important results".

President Christodoulides said the conversation was moving "in the right direction" and while there could have been a better outcome - "had there been the necessary political will" - the meeting still yielded "important results".

"We see a small but significant progress, step by step, in the direction of the great goal which as the Secretary General said is the resumption of talks and the solution of the Cyprus problem," he said.

The next meeting, he said, will take place just after the "elections" for a new Turkish Cypriot president. Until then, he added, the efforts by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angel Holguin, will continue, both in relation to the opening of crossing points, and  with regard some other ideas, floated at the meeting in New York.

Guterres: Another informal meeting will take place later this year

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the informal meeting on Cyprus was constructive and announced that there will be another informal meeting in the present format later this year. 

"Today, I convened a meeting I proposed in March with the clear goal of pursuing the constructive dialogue between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Leaders," he said, noting that from the very start of his mandate, he has been committed to the security and well-being of the Cypriots — the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots.

Guterres added: "Once again, today’s discussions were constructive. Both leaders reviewed the progress on the six initiatives they agreed in March to build trust.  Out of these six initiatives, four have been achieved, the creation of a technical committee on youth, initiatives on the environment and climate change, including the impact on mining areas, the restoration of cemeteries, an agreement on de-mining will be closed once the final technical details are established."

In addition, he said that discussions will continue on the remaining two - the opening of four crossing points and solar energy in the buffer zone - and that they came to a common understanding on a consultative body for civil society engagement, exchange of cultural artefacts, an initiative on air quality monitoring; and addressing microplastic pollution.

Greek FM: "We had an extremely productive discussion"

Greece's Foreign Affairs Minister George Gerapetritis described the New York meeting as "extremely productive".

In a statement to ERT television, Gerapetritis said: "Eight years after Crans Montana and the inaction which it brought in relation to the Cyprus problem, it is extremely important that the Cyprus issue is now at the top of the UN Secretary General's agenda, who has appointed a personal envoy so that he can closely follow these developments."

He added, "We had an extremely productive discussion. We undertook to evaluate the positive measure, which had been decided in Geneva some months ago."

According to Gerapetritis, "It was determined that four out of six chapters were completed. And already another four have been added to continue this trajectory for Confidence Building Measures, which will create the appropriate conditions to be able to move on to a more substantive discussion in relation to a united Cyprus, in the framework of the UN Security Council resolutions." 

(Source and photos: CNA, PIO)