With António Guterres’s term in office set to end in three months, the President of the Republic will hold a series of meetings in New York, focusing on the 19-point proposal regarding the outgoing Secretary-General’s three-pronged approach to methodology, substance, and the MOU.
Indicative of the stalemate, despite António Guterres’s visit to Cyprus last July, is the fact that the President’s schedule of meetings does not include any meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader or a joint meeting of the two with the Secretary-General, let alone the prospect of a conference on the Cyprus issue being convened.
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The President of the Republic’s contacts regarding the Cyprus issue are limited to a meeting with the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, María Ángela Olguín on Tuesday, and with António Guterres himself, on Thursday, while shortly thereafter he will host a luncheon for the Permanent Representatives of the five Permanent Members of the Security Council.
A flurry of meetings
He will address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, and in addition to the Cyprus issue, the President’s schedule for the coming week begins today, Sunday, as he is meeting tonight with the leaders of Greek-American organizations.
Tomorrow, Monday, he will meet with the King of Jordan, and in the afternoon he will participate in a meeting co-hosted by the President of the European Council and the Prime Minister of Canada.
The President will attend the opening of the UN General Assembly plenary session, and he will hold meetings on issues concerning the Cypriot EEZ with senior executives from Chevron and ExxonMobil.
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Before departing, he will also meet with the Vice President of China and representatives of the American Jewish Committee.
“Plan B”
In any case, the modest agenda the President is bringing with him to New York—which consists of his 19-point proposal— appears to be full of holes, because Ankara is already preparing for the aftermath of the looming failure to convene a multilateral conference during Antonio Guterres’s tenure.
“Plan B,” according to the newspaper “O Fileleftheros,” is spearheaded by the Turkish Foreign Minister.
“Reports indicate that Ankara believes the goal of promoting a form of ‘Taiwanization’ of the occupied territories is more achievable. This model of an ‘unrecognized state’ is also combined with actions leading to the integration of the occupied territories into Turkey.”
In an interview yesterday, the Turkish Foreign Minister passed the buck to Nicosia and Athens, claiming that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wanted a solution to the Cyprus issue and the Aegean dispute.
“My brother, let’s resolve this, whatever the issue may be,” and he demonstrated his willingness to do so on both the Cyprus issue and the Aegean issue. However, Greek governments, due to the nature of Greek politics, cannot take steps forward on this issue.”
In fact, the Turkish foreign minister went a step too far by warning Greece against reckless actions, as he characterized the potential laying of the GSI cable.
Watch the report by Neoklis Neokleous:
