A meeting lasting approximately one hour between President Tufan Erhürman and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Hristodulidis failed to produce any concrete consensus. The meeting was held at the UN Good Offices Mission located in the buffer zone. Safety-building measures and negotiation methodologies were discussed, but no new avenues were opened.
After the meeting, Hristodulidis stated that despite its brevity, the discussion was meaningful. He mentioned that progress had been made on some issues but noted that there are still unresolved differences on the matters discussed. Hristodulidis emphasized their readiness to resume negotiations from where they left off in Crans Montana.
Moreover, Hristodulidis revealed that they would meet again with Erhürman next week. He also mentioned the possibility of a trilateral meeting with the participation of the UN Secretary-General or a personal representative, with leaders or negotiators at the level of New York. He stated that a definitive decision regarding this meeting would be announced if taken.
President Tufan Erhürman highlighted that the main topics of the meeting were confidence-building measures and negotiation methodologies. However, he noted that no consensus could be reached on safety-building measures for a significant part of the discussion. He conveyed to Hristodulidis his belief that both external and internal interventions were eroding existing trust.
Erhürman stressed the critical importance of creating the “favorable climate” mentioned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for the process to advance. He underscored the need to implement new confidence-building measures and to avoid any initiatives that could damage trust.
It was also noted that the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Representative in Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, would not be on the island prior to the UN General Assembly due to health issues. Therefore, the next meeting of the leaders would take place in her absence.
The Presidency announced that the next meeting between Tufan Erhürman and Nikos Hristodulidis is scheduled for Thursday, September 17 at 11:00 in the buffer zone. It is known that following their meeting on August 26, the two leaders agreed to meet at least once a week.
Source: www.diyaloggazetesi.com
