Nicosia: Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides expressed hope that there will be political will from everyone in the upcoming meetings in New York, during the UN General Assembly week, so that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could call for a broader format meeting on the Cyprus issue.

According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides, who was arriving at an event in Athienou, Larnaca, on Thursday evening, was asked if the Greek Cypriot side was informed by the UN about the phone communication between the Secretary-General's personal envoy and Antonio Guterres. He replied that "we have not been informed and that we knew from the Secretary-General himself that there would be a telephone conversation, because it was not possible for Maria Angela Holguin to travel to New York."

"We will certainly be informed in the next twenty-four hours," he said. At the same time, he added, "the European Union has also begun preparatory work so that the conditions for the resumption of talks are created, taking into account the very important role it can play."

President Christodoulides described the week in New York as critical and decisive. "I hope that there will be political will from everyone, that there will be a response, so that the Secretary General can move forward with an expanded meeting," he noted.

He was also asked about the wish expressed by the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, with whom he met today in Nicosia, for Cyprus to host a Cyprus-Israel-Lebanon trilateral meeting. The President said that this is indicative of how neighbouring states view our role.

"We are the [EU] member state of the region, which speaks with all neighbouring states, we have excellent relations with all neighbouring states and I am glad that they recognise this role of ours," he pointed out.

He also noted that we will do whatever we can to create conditions of security, cooperation, and stability in our region.

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.