Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, will meet in Nicosia with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, on March 15 at 10.00 local time, Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

Letymbiotis noted that the meeting will take place in the framework of efforts for the immediate resumption of negotiations for a Cyprus settlement, adding that President Christodoulides will convey to DiCarlo and through her to the UN Secretary General, to whom DiCarlo reports directly, the will of the Greek Cypriot side to break the deadlock in the Cyprus problem. 

Moreover, Christodoulides will brief DiCarlo about the diplomatic effort he will make during the next period of time aiming to promote the more active involvement of the EU to efforts for a Cyprus settlement, always under the UN auspices, Letymbiotis noted, adding that the aim is to prepare the ground for the resumption of the talks the soonest possible. 

Letymbiotis moreover said that President Christodoulides will have on Thursday a meeting with the UN Secretary General's Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, in view of DiCarlo's visit to Cyprus, to discuss about the objective of breaking the deadlock in the Cyprus problem. This meeting will take place in the framework of the contacts which the President of the Republic is holding to demonstrate the will of our side to immediately begin negotiations, the Government Spokesman said. 

Asked about the document which Nicosia has prepared aiming at a more active involvement of the EU in efforts for a Cyprus settlement, under the UN auspices, Letymbiotis noted that this is a working document, the content of which President Christodoulides will discuss with the Presidents of the EU institutions and with some of his EU counterparts, in the framework of his visit to Brussels at the end of March to participate in the European Council meeting that will take place on March 23 and 24. 

Letymbiotis said that to this end President Christodoulides will have meetings in the Belgian capital with the French President Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, whose country is currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU. 

Nicosia wants the appointment of an EU envoy for the Cyprus problem, who will always act within the framework of the efforts made under UN auspices and as Letymbiotis noted, President Christodoulides will outline his proposal on this. "The President of the Republic does not want to wait until the elections in Turkey and in Greece to begin with these efforts" on the Cyprus problem, the Government Spokesman stressed.

Replying to a question, Letymbiotis noted that there has been no answer so far as regards President Christodoulides' request to meet with the UNSG, Antonio Guterres, in Brussels on the sidelines of the European Council, as Guterres will be there to meet with the EU leaders. We know that Guterres has a tight programme and so we are waiting to see, he added.

State visit to Athens

Asked about President Christodoulides' state visit to Athens on March 13 and 14, the Spokesman said that it is an established practice for each President of Cyprus to pay his first visit abroad to Greece, after his election.

He added that apart from this and the fact that Christodoulides will express, during the visit, Cyprus' solidarity with Greece after the deadly train crash in Tempi, the President will discuss with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, about this great effort which begins in Brussels on the sidelines of the European Council, adding that they will also have substantive discussions on other issues, such as energy.

"The most fundamental issue is to have the necessary coordination in view of the European Council and efforts on the Cyprus problem," Letymbiotis noted. 

Moreover, he said that during his state visit to Greece, President Christodoulides will meet with Prime Minister Mitsotakis, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Ieronymos II, the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoulas, and political party leaders.  

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.