Nicosia: The Government did not ask foreign diplomats accredited to the Republic of Cyprus not to attend a briefing organised by Turkish Cypriot negotiator, Mehmet Dana, CNA has learnt.
According to Cyprus News Agency, competent sources refuted reports that the Cyprus Foreign Affairs Ministry made attempts to prevent the presence of foreign diplomats at the briefing by Dana regarding the positions of the Turkish Cypriot side on the Cyprus issue. The same sources noted that no intervention is made by the Government about these briefings. However, the foreign diplomats were advised to exercise caution due to a letterhead featuring the symbols of the self-proclaimed and illegal pseudo-state being sent to the diplomatic corps.
The diplomats, as informed by the same sources, notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) about receiving this letter. The Ministry communicated to them that they should remain cautious, a routine advisory provided to anyone in such circumstances.
The briefing occurred on August 19. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in a broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.