Nicosia: The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, said he was conveying a message in all directions, as he reiterated in statements on Sunday his readiness, even as early as next week, to attend an expanded conference at which the resumption of talks for a Cyprus settlement would be announced. The President called on all sides to demonstrate their readiness through deeds.
According to Cyprus News Agency, speaking on the sidelines of celebrations for Saint Maron, at the Maronite cathedral in Nicosia, the President was asked to comment on an opinion editorial by the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Maria Angela Holguin, where she stated that leaders need time for ideas to mature and for each side's internal procedures to develop, referring on the one hand to the upcoming parliamentary elections and the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and on the other to the consolidation of the new leadership in the Turkish-occupied areas.
Noting that he had not yet had the opportunity to read the relevant article, President Christodoulides said he was sending a message in all directions, stating: 'I am ready next week to meet at an expanded conference, as we promised the Secretary-General in New York, and to announce the resumption of talks from where they were left off in Crans-Montana, with full respect for the acquis of the negotiations. Let us all prove in practice that we are ready. Let us leave aside the statements.'
He also stressed that neither the Presidency of the Council of the European Union nor the May parliamentary elections affect this timetable in any way. 'I repeat, I am ready. If there is will from both the Turkish and the Turkish Cypriot side, we can move forward,' he said.
Asked to comment on Holguin's position that the Republic of Cyprus is preoccupied with the Cyprus EU Presidency and the parliamentary elections, which render the resumption of negotiations impossible, President Christodoulides asked 'how do they render it impossible when I am telling you that I am ready to go next week' to an expanded meeting.
Regarding the parliamentary elections, the President said, 'I am sorry, this argument is absurd. The result of the parliamentary elections or the process leading up to them does not affect this in any way whatsoever.'
He added that if some are unable to come to the talks at this time, 'they should come out publicly and say so,' reiterating that the Greek Cypriot side is ready next week 'in New York, or wherever the Secretary-General chooses,' to participate in an conference in broader format where the resumption of negotiations will be announced, with full respect for the acquis of the negotiations.
Asked to comment on statements by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman regarding delays observed at the Agios Dometios crossing, President Christodoulides said that the Republic of Cyprus had long been ready for the road widening to take place. 'We had done our part, and in fact there was a delay within the buffer zone, and we had suggested that we carry out the work ourselves so that there would be no delays. Unfortunately, there was a negative response from the Turkish Cypriot side,' he said, noting that he was referring mainly to the period when Tatar was leader of the Turkish Cypriots.
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.
In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format that was expected to take place before the end of 2025, is yet to be announced.
Mara Angela Holgun, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holgun.