President Nikos Christodoulides will seek substantive progress on his 19 proposals for restarting Cyprus negotiations when he meets Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Tuesday, Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Monday.
He said the proposals cover confidence-building measures, the methodology of negotiations and the substance of the Cyprus problem, the three areas identified by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as necessary for progress towards an expanded conference.
The government expected a substantive discussion on the proposals and a response to the issues raised, he said, adding that progress could also be achieved on crossing points.
“We consider every meeting with the other side to be significant. Every meeting is an opportunity to make progress,” he said.
The 19 proposals were presented to Erhurman at the leaders’ previous meeting, when the Turkish Cypriot leader reserved his position pending further study.
Christodoulides had also submitted them to Guterres and his personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin.
Return to Varosha
Letymbiotis declined to confirm reports that the proposals included the return of Greek Cypriots to Varosha under United Nations administration and the reopening of Famagusta port under European Union supervision.
He also rejected the suggestion that the government was prepared to make concessions outside the agreed framework, saying any compromise must remain within United Nations Security Council resolutions and the convergences already achieved.
Negotiations necessarily involve mutual concessions, he said, but none would be made merely for their own sake.
He cited the Greek Cypriot side’s acceptance of a compromise route for the proposed Athienou-Pyroi crossing point as an example of its “willingness to accommodate proposals to achieve progress”.
A separate disagreement concerns the document recording convergences reached during previous negotiations.
Letymbiotis said the recording process had been completed but the document had not been handed to the parties.
The government had conveyed to Holguin and Guterres its position that the document should be shared at this stage, allowing both sides to comment and establish a common understanding before negotiations resumed.
Holguin set to visit
Holguin had indicated that she would visit Cyprus in October, and the government was awaiting confirmation of the dates, he said.
“The other side, of course, does not share this view,” Letymbiotis said, adding that the issue could be discussed with the United Nations and Erhurman.
He said the government believed progress remained possible if all parties demonstrated genuine political will, while pointing to Turkey’s continued support for a two-state solution as an obstacle.
The spokesman also confirmed that Cyprus had received an invitation to participate in the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Turkey, following diplomatic efforts coordinated with European partners.
He said a decision on who would represent Cyprus would be announced at a more appropriate time.