Nicosia: During the meeting on 26 August between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman, the two sides are expected to discuss whether there is a willingness on the Turkish Cypriot side to make progress on confidence-building measures (CBMs), particularly regarding crossing points, CNA has learnt.
According to Cyprus News Agency, informed sources revealed that the two leaders are anticipated to deliberate on the willingness of the Turkish Cypriot side to advance on CBMs, especially concerning crossing points. This issue has already been discussed with UN Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres, who has also put forward a proposal that the Greek Cypriot side has responded to positively.
The same sources indicated that negotiators from both sides are expected to convene to prepare for the upcoming 26 August meeting. Regarding the expanded meeting on the Cyprus problem, efforts to set the stage for substantive discussions are emphasized. There is an ongoing process of documenting areas of convergence, which will be shared with all parties involved, including the two sides in Cyprus and the guarantor powers. Following this, the Secretary-General is anticipated to call for the expanded meeting.
The aim of the expanded meeting is to reach a decision to initiate talks. It is recalled that after a joint meeting in Nicosia on 29 July with President Christodoulides and Erhrman, the UN Secretary-General announced plans to convene another 5+1 meeting on Cyprus. This meeting is contingent on adequate preparations around confidence-building, methodology, and substance, considering the convergences already achieved.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following Turkey's invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks, a resolution remains elusive due to persistent Turkish intransigence. The most recent negotiations, held in July 2017 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ended without a conclusive outcome.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term is nearing its end, announced his intention to convene another broader meeting after sufficient preparation, although no timeline has been set. He has secured the consensus of both sides and the guarantor powers. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked with engaging the parties, while Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto assumes the role of the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.