António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, is set to arrive in Cyprus ahead of a significant round of talks in Nicosia on the future course of the Cyprus problem.
Reports in the local media suggest Guterres’s principal aim is to update the framework for a settlement that he first put forward at Crans-Montana in 2017.
CyBC reported that during his meetings on the island, the Secretary-General will seek to consolidate the negotiating acquis built up over the years, so that it might be handed on intact to whoever succeeds him. Should he succeed in that aim, the way would be open for a new informal conference on the Cyprus issue — the third of its kind. Any such gathering, however, would first require a green light from Ankara, as well as firm assurances that it would yield results.
Mr Guterres is understood to be reluctant to convene a conference unless he can be reasonably confident that it will produce a positive outcome.
Under the United Nations’ schedule, the Secretary-General will meet the President of the Republic at 10am on Tuesday, followed by talks with the Turkish Cypriot leader at 11.45am.
The following morning, he is due to hold a joint meeting with both leaders, after which he will give a press conference.
During his time in Cyprus, Mr Guterres will also meet representatives of the bicommunal technical committees and civil society organisations. He is further expected to visit the anthropological laboratory run by the Committee on Missing Persons, as well as the peacekeepers’ memorial.
