“The will continue informal meetings in expanded form, as in the past with the participation of the three guarantor powers” said the president of the Republic of Cyprus after the informal dinner at the UN headquarters in New York and thanked the UN Secretary General for this important initiative.

The statement of the president of the Republic of Cyprus to the journalists and correspondents at the UN: “I first of all want to publicly thank the Secretary General of the United Nations for taking this very important initiative, in the midst of two wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, to take place this informal dinner, but also about what he mentioned during the introductory speech about how he thinks it is possible to solve the Cyprus.

New crossing points

» It became one open discussionin some points constructive. We have not heard anything new from Mr. Tatar, to be honest, but I am glad that the Secretary-General has decided to continue these informal meetings in an expanded form, as has been done in the past and at the same time in several proposals that we have made for Confidence Building Measureswhat was agreed upon in the end is to have a meeting in Cyprus with Mr. Tatar and to consider the possibility of new crossing points.

We are continuing an effort, where for a long time there was no mobility in the Cypriot region. I repeat that I am happy for the initiative of the Secretary General. We are here. We know where we are aiming and let’s hope that there will be positive developments towards the resumption of talks. We’re not there yet, I want to make that clear. The discussions that are taking place tonight and those that will follow are informal and I hope they will lead to the resumption of talks.”

When asked about “what the expanded meetings mean”, the president of the Republic of Cyprus replied that “they will be expanded as in the past, with the participation of the three guarantor powers, where they will be of an informal nature to see how the prospects of resumption can be explored of the conversations. In the context of the discussion we had tonight, I highlighted the issues that you perceive to be of particular importance, although they are all important for the Greek Cypriot side.”

Regarding the issue of sovereign equality requested by the Turkish Cypriot side, Mr Nikos Christodoulidis stated that it was “not overcome” and that “there was no progress on substantive issues.

“I did not hear anything different from Mr. Tatar and of course I responded to the issues he mentioned, which are known, what he says publicly,” he said.

The president of the Republic of Cyprus stated that “the Secretary General will proceed with some scouting and inform both sides about the dates of the next informal meetings. There is no time limit tonight” and added that they touched on “all the issues concerning the Cypriot”. He reiterated “the importance of ensuring the negotiated achievements, the six points of the Secretary General”.

“The Secretary General made some suggestions that were not accepted by the Turkish Cypriot leader. I will not go into details, I am not here to assign blame, nor to speak publicly about these matters. Let’s keep as positive points that this informal effort will continue and I hope the dialogue will bring results, we made specific suggestions, the other side did not give answers, he said that these will be discussed in Cyprus”, said the president of the Republic of Cyprus, answering a question on the issues proposed by the Secretary General.

Regarding the future of the personal envoy of the Secretary General, Maria Angela Holguín Quellar. Nikos Christodoulidis stated that “the Republic of Cyprus wishes for the continuation of Ms. Holgin’s efforts and certainly what I can say is that someone will have a leading role in these informal meetings with Mr. Tatar”.

Guterres: No common ground found

The Secretary General of the United Nations, after the informal dinner he hosted for the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis and the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatarreferred to the engagement of his Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Quellard, who submitted her final report in July, expressing regret that no common ground was found between the two leaders.

The Secretary General encouraged the two leaders to bridge their differences and restore trust, so that progress can be made towards resolving the Cyprus issue.

The two leaders agreed to meet informally in a wider context in the future and to consider the possibility of opening new crossings in Cyprus.

The Secretary-General reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to a peaceful resolution for the benefit of all Cypriots and future generations.

The announcement of the UN Secretary General: “Today, the Secretary General hosted an informal dinner with the leader of the Greek Cypriot community, Mr. Nikos Christodoulidis, and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr. Ersin Tatar.

The Secretary General recalled the commitment of his Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Mrs. Maria Angela Holguin Quellar, who submitted her final report to him in July. He regretted the fact that despite the efforts of his Personal Envoy and her engagement with the two leaders, political actors and civil society on the island, the guarantor powers and the wider international community, no common ground was found between leaders for the way forward in the Cyprus issue.

The Secretary-General encouraged the leaders to consider how to bridge the gap in their positions and restore trust to enable movement towards a settlement.

The leaders agreed to hold 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 meet in Cyprus to explore the possibility of opening new crossings.

The Secretary-General underlined the continued firm commitment of the United Nations to a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus issue, for the benefit of all Cypriots and future generations.”