No News from New York on Cyprus issue’s Next Steps

Nicosia has yet to receive further clarification from the United Nations about upcoming initiatives. The Greek Cypriot side currently holds only the UN Secretary-General’s commitment outlining the next steps: a meeting between leaders with Rosemary DiCarlo on the island, an agreement on crossing points, and subsequently, an informal multilateral meeting involving the three guarantor powers.

The only confirmed engagement between the two leaders is Colin Stewart’s year-end reception scheduled for 10 January.

Diplomatic sources suggest Tatar’s statement might have been informed by Ankara, noting that the UN Secretary-General maintains regular communications with Turkish officials and may have proposed a tentative date.

Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos has indicated that the trilateral meeting would precede the five-party talks. Speaking at a Cyprus University of Technology event on Friday, Kombos acknowledged that whilst the president’s intensive efforts for movement have yielded results, this “does not guarantee a positive outcome or a return to dialogue”.

He emphasised that inaction is not an option, stating that Cyprus must “convince the Secretary-General to make another attempt in the right direction, one strictly aligned with Security Council decisions and resolutions”.

“This is the negotiating basis, this is the solution basis. Anything outside this framework, any creative idea or attempt to square the circle will not find us in agreement”, Kombos stressed.

Meanwhile, Athens reportedly has no knowledge of specific dates for a multilateral meeting, according to sources. The matter may be explored during this week’s multiple Greece-Turkey engagements, including meetings between foreign ministers George Gerapetritis and Hakan Fidan at both NATO and OSCE summits.

Deputy foreign ministers from both countries are meeting in Athens today and tomorrow, focusing on political dialogue and positive agenda discussions. The NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels is scheduled for 3-4 December, followed by the OSCE meeting in Malta from 4-6 December.

The two countries have agreed on a joint diplomatic strategy for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with Greece supporting Turkey’s candidate for Secretary-General and Turkey backing Greece’s nominee for a key human rights post.

Source: In-Cyprus