Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has expressed his readiness to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, in the presence of UN Secretary General’s personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar.
President Christodoulides was replying to journalists’ questions upon his arrival at an event in Nicosia, on Tuesday evening.
Asked whether a meeting will take place with Tatar and Holguin, he said that a meeting has been scheduled also on Saturday with Holguin, adding that “we also spoke on the phone today.”
“I am ready to meet with Tatar in the presence of Holguin, if his response is also positive,” President Christodoulides added.
Replying to a question about a visit he will pay to Mount Athos he said that he will be in Salonica tomorrow where he will meetings.
On Thursday, he added, he will pay Mount Athos an official visit, adding that he believes the last time such a visit took place was during the presidency of Glafcos Clerides.
“I felt it was important since I would be in Salonica to also visit M
ount Athos,” he said.
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.
The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
In January UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Holguin as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency