Christodoulides ready for expanded Cyprus talks as UN rules out New York meeting

President Nikos Christodoulides has said he is fully prepared to take part in an expanded conference on the Cyprus problem whenever the United Nations secretary-general deems it appropriate, as reported by Cyprus Mail. Speaking on Thursday ahead of his latest round of talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, Christodoulides said he would bring some 19 specific points to the table covering methodology and confidence building measures.

“I hope for positive results. The coming week is critical,” he said. He confirmed he had spoken by phone that morning with the EU’s special envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto, and said he would meet UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo during his opening days in New York.

“We are fully prepared, should the UN secretary-general deem it appropriate, to participate in and discuss matters at not only a bilateral meeting but also a trilateral meeting or an expanded conference,” he said. Asked whether Fitto would take further initiatives, Christodoulides said the envoy had already acted within his mandate on EU-Turkey relations.

On the issue of mixed marriages, raised in the context of his talks with Erhurman, the president said it was not a confidence building measure and that the Republic “applies the same citizenship rules to all applicants regardless of background”, operating under regulations subject to daily EU oversight. The issue concerns children born to Turkish Cypriots who have married Turkish settlers, whose applications for Republic of Cyprus, and by extension EU, citizenship face additional scrutiny not applied to other applicants.

Pressed on whether the UN secretary-general’s decision to rule out a tripartite or expanded conference during the General Assembly week limited his negotiating position, Christodoulides rejected the suggestion. He noted that Guterres faces around 186 bilateral meetings with heads of delegation during the official week, and said scheduling was not the obstacle. “If we need to stay in New York, we will stay on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or we can return in October or even go to Geneva,” he said. He remarked that the Republic stood ready to proceed with an expanded conference “whether this week, next week, or at any other time” provided the political will existed “on all sides”.

His comments followed an announcement on Wednesday night by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that no 3+1 or 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus problem would take place on the sidelines of the General Assembly. “There is still much work to be done,” Guterres said, adding that any future meeting must be prepared in a way that creates “real prospects for an outcome” and stressing “we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past.” Guterres said the UN remained committed to progress on the issue.

Thursday’s meeting followed talks earlier in the week between Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou and Turkish Cypriot representative Mehmet Dana, held in preparation for the leaders’ session. The meeting, held at the United Nations offices at the former Nicosia airport, shall be their final session before the UN General Assembly in New York, which begins on September 28.