President Nikos Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhürman, have agreed to step up the pace of their engagement over the island’s long-running political impasse, following an afternoon meeting that ran to more than two and a half hours — the longest session between the two men to date.
The talks were the first since the visit of the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, to Cyprus at the end of July, a visit widely regarded on the island as a turning point. Under the new arrangement, the two leaders are expected to meet weekly, or more often should circumstances require.
Discussions ranged over matters of substance — chiefly points of potential convergence between the two sides — as well as questions of procedure and confidence-building measures. Speaking afterwards, President Christodoulides described the exchange as constructive and struck a note of cautious optimism, saying preparatory work was now under way in line with public remarks made by the UN Secretary-General.
A joint communiqué issued by the United Nations following the meeting characterised the talks as constructive, and recorded that both leaders had reiterated their deep appreciation to Mr Guterres for his recent visit to the island, as well as for his continued engagement with efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. The communiqué further noted that the two sides had agreed to announce, on Thursday, the membership of the Coordinating Committee of the Civil Society Advisory Board.
Leaving the meeting, President Christodoulides offered only a brief assessment: that the process was continuing and remained, in his view, on the right track. Earlier in the day, before departing the Presidential Palace, he had said he hoped for a substantive discussion — one that might mark the beginning of a more intensive round of consultations ahead of an informal deadline set for the week of the UN General Assembly in September.
The President also disclosed that the Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguín, is expected to visit Cyprus in early September, adding that preparatory work by the United Nations on areas of potential convergence was already at an advanced stage.
