"We are facing these developments in the Cyprus issue as a result of our own actions," said the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, tonight, noting that in light of the UN Secretary-General’s visit, he has convened a meeting of the National Council.

In remarks to reporters as he arrived at the event to commemorate and honor those missing since the 1974 Turkish invasion at the Panorama of the Missing in Kornos, the President of the Republic, when asked to comment on UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s visit to Cyprus, said, “We view the UN Secretary-General’s visit as positive. It demonstrates what we have been saying for so long about his clear political will and the international interest resulting from our actions. It comes at a time when, as we are seeing in practice through the EU’s actions, this heightened interest, and we hope that the conditions will be created for us to achieve our goal, which is none other than the resumption of talks.”

“We are preparing for the Secretary-General’s visit; I have also convened the National Council, and we are fully prepared to welcome him,” he added.

When asked whether the UN Secretary-General had sent a draft proposal, the President of the Republic replied in the negative, noting that “he has not sent any draft.” “As you can imagine, in addition to the joint meeting, I will have a private meeting with the Secretary-General to discuss whatever comes up; we’re talking about a major effort; it concerns our national issue, it concerns our entire country, it concerns our entire people, and the public will, of course, be kept informed,” he emphasized.

In response to a journalist’s remark that the Turkish President will not, after all, be coming to occupied Cyprus tomorrow and whether this could be interpreted as a gesture of goodwill, the President of the Republic said that “Mr. Erdoğan will not be coming; someone else will come in his place. So, let’s not jump to such conclusions.”

When asked whether Guterres’s visit to Cyprus sends a message to Turkey, the President of the Republic said that “it certainly demonstrates heightened interest,” noting that “before the Secretary-General’s visit to Cyprus, Ms. Olgin is in Brussels; she will be in contact with Turkey and then come to Cyprus, and this is part of the preparations for the Secretary-General’s visit so that there will be concrete results.” “That is our goal; we are working toward it. As a result of our own actions—I repeat—we are now facing these developments, and we want them to bear fruit; and when I say ‘bear fruit,’ I repeat, I am referring to the resumption of talks based on the agreed framework, the principles, the values, and EU law, picking up where we left off at Crans-Montana,” he said.

When asked whether there would be a trilateral meeting between the UN Secretary-General, the President, and Mr. Erciyurman, President Christodoulides said “Yes, certainly, there will also be a joint meeting with the Secretary-General; it is one of the key parts of his visit’s agenda.” 

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