Christodoulides says Cyprus settlement process is not at a dead end — Cyprus Mail

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said that efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue have not reached a dead end, although attempts to resume negotiations are accompanied by difficulties. He said this after arriving at the Cyprus Forum, Cyprus Mail reports.

Response to the UN envoy’s assessment

Christodoulides was answering questions about remarks by the personal envoy of the UN secretary-general, María Ángela Holguín. She had said that a favorable opportunity for progress on the Cyprus issue is gradually being lost. The president stressed that he does not share assessments that the settlement process is at an impasse.

According to him, he will first brief the members of the National Council, after which he will be able to comment on the situation in more detail. Christodoulides also said that UN Secretary-General António Guterres is fully committed to resuming negotiations and is working to achieve this goal.

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Proposals and the European Union’s role

The president said that the Greek Cypriot side supports Guterres’ efforts with concrete ideas on the methodology, substance of negotiations and confidence-building measures. He said that this side’s new proposals received a positive response from the UN secretary-general.

At the same time, Christodoulides acknowledged the difficulty related to the position of the Turkish side, which advocates a two-state solution. He said that the goal remains the reunification of Cyprus, and that work continues despite the existing problems and challenges.

Next steps

Christodoulides announced Holguín’s upcoming visit to Cyprus. He also noted the activity of the European Union’s special envoy for Cyprus, Johannes Hahn, particularly in engagement with Turkey. The president said that meetings between EU and Turkish representatives are expected, while efforts are focused on resuming negotiations.