CNA News

A positive climate can only come through negotiations, Spokesperson tells CNA

It is not through any public discussions between the two sides that the positive climate we seek can be created, but rather at the negotiating table with sincere political will, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Thursday.

Invited to comment on Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar’s statements that he will send a letter to the UN Secretary-General about what was discussed in his meeting with the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides on Monday, the Spokesperson said that the Greek Cypriot side approaches the efforts made by the Secretary-General with the gravity that the moment demands.

“We approach the effort we are making, as well as the effort by the UN Secretary-General himself, with the seriousness and responsibility that the moment demands,” he said, adding that “we remain consistent in our view that it is not through any public discussions between the two sides that the positive climate we seek can be created, but rather at the negotiating table with sincere political will.”

We remain ready at any moment, Letymbiotis added, “to continue the dialogue under the auspices of the UN with the aim of achieving a positive outcome, a position that was also expressed in the joint statement of the two leaders after the meeting on January 20.”

Asked if there is hope for a new meeting between the leaders after this development, given that the Turkish Cypriot side requested time until next week for the negotiators to meet, the Spokesperson replied, “the joint statement of the two and the statements (the day before yesterday) of Tatar say this”.

He urged to wait for the negotiators’ meeting next week.

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. 

On October 15, 2024, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hosted an informal dinner with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in New York, encouraging “the leaders to consider how to bridge the gap in their positions and rebuild trust to allow movement leading to a settlement.”

At the meeting, President Christodoulides and Tatar agreed to have an informal meeting in a broader format in the near future, under the auspices of the Secretary-General, to discuss the way forward. They also agreed to have a meeting in Cyprus to explore the possibility of opening new crossings.