Cyprus President Christodoulides says he agreed to UN proposals — Cyprus Mail

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said that the Greek Cypriot side had accepted all proposals conveyed by UN envoy María Ángela Holguín ahead of a trilateral meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman. This was reported by Cyprus Mail, citing the president’s statement before the meeting began.

According to Christodoulides, he arrived at the meeting in a positive mood and expected a response from the Turkish Cypriot side to Holguín’s proposals. The president expressed hope that the response would be positive, after which the sides could make specific announcements for further progress.

The sides’ proposals

Christodoulides stressed that both sides had received specific proposals conveyed by the UN envoy last Tuesday. He said that, at the time of his statement, no response had yet been received from the Turkish Cypriot side.

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For his part, Erhürman said that the Turkish Cypriot side had prepared a package of proposals to establish dialogue on previously discussed issues. According to him, the package takes into account not only his side’s position, but also the views of the Greek Cypriot side. He also announced a new proposal which, in his opinion, could substantially change the dynamics of the negotiation process.

Negotiations without preconditions

Holguín had previously suggested that the sides could begin full-fledged negotiations without preconditions. She proposed first discussing the issue of a rotating presidency after a possible settlement. The Turkish Cypriot side insists that the principle of such a presidency be agreed before negotiations begin, while the Greek Cypriot side believes that the issue should be resolved during them.

The UN envoy also warned that the failure of the current initiative to resume negotiations could cause significant damage. According to her, UN Secretary-General António Guterres does not want to convene an expanded meeting in the “five plus one” format without proper preparation.