Nicosia: Negotiators of the Greek Cypriot side Menelaos Menelaou and of the Turkish Cypriot side, Mehmet Dana met on Monday ahead of Wednesday's meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot community leader Tufan Erhrman. The two negotiators had a 'good discussion' as part of preparations for Wednesday's leaders' meeting, CNA has learnt.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the meeting between President Christodoulides and Erhrman is scheduled for 10.30am on Wednesday. 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.
