Nicosia: The current status quo cannot be the solution of the Cyprus problem, President Nikos Christodoulides said during his meeting with UN Under Secretary-General for Political and Peace Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, at the Presidential Palace.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the UN official expressed her anticipation for the enlarged meeting in March and conveyed the UN Secretary-General’s commitment to assist both sides in advancing their discussions. During the meeting, President Christodoulides welcomed DiCarlo and expressed his readiness to present specific proposals to the UN official aimed at achieving a successful outcome when the Secretary-General convenes the upcoming meeting.
President Christodoulides emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating, “We are ready to participate. For us, the current status quo cannot be the solution of the Cyprus problem and as time passes, the situation is getting worse and worse.” He further highlighted the absence of frozen conflicts in the wider region and reiterated his eagerness to exchange views with DiCarlo on how to resume negotiations from the point they stopped in Crans-Montana, along with submitting specific proposals on the way forward.
UN Deputy Secretary-General DiCarlo expressed her satisfaction at returning to Cyprus and her anticipation for the enlarged meeting in March. She reiterated the Secretary-General’s commitment to assisting the sides in moving forward, mentioning that the dates for the meeting would be shared soon.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results, with the latest round of negotiations in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ending inconclusively.