Christodoulides stresses progress achieved so far ahead of New York meeting
President Nikos Christodoulides was on Monday keen to stress the progress achieved so far on the Cyprus problem since he took office, ahead of this week’s enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, which is set to begin in New York on Wednesday.
“I want to remind you that when we started this effort, [Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin] Tatar did not even accept that a social meeting would take place, he set terms and conditions for a meeting to take place under the auspices of the United Nations,” he said ahead of an event at the Franco-Cypriot school to mark Bastille Day.
“The first conference took place, we had appointments, reappointments, we have the European Union declaring its interest in a leading role, and I am going to New York with one purpose and one purpose only.”
He said he is “interested in how the conditions will be created to lead us to the resumption of talks”, and that he is going to New York with the ultimate goal of making progress towards “the resolution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the agreed framework”.
Asked whether the Greek Cypriot side will submit “specific proposals to break the Turkish intransigence”, he said he has “several alternative scenarios”, and that he will “move at the negotiating table depending on the development of the discussion”.
The enlarged meeting will involve representatives of Cyprus’ two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the UN.
It will take place on Wednesday and Thursday.