All eyes in Cyprus are on New York today, where, for about ten minutes, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres are scheduled to speak at 6:00 p.m. Cyprus time, President of the Republic Nicos Christodoulides and UN Secretary-General António Guterres are scheduled to speak for about ten minutes at 6 p.m. Cyprus time, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, who is also in New York, will meet today with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Olguín, and will meet with António Guterres tomorrow. Ms. Olgin, however, was present in the UN General Assembly hall during President Christodoulides’ speech.
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SEE ALSO: VIDEO: Turkey’s UN envoy stood up and left when President Christodoulides was announced
Possibility of a Trilateral Meeting
Diplomatic sources told Alpha Cyprus that, as of now, Mr. Guterres’ intentions regarding the Cyprus issue for the remaining three months of his term are unknown, while the possibility of a trilateral meeting taking place in the U.S. metropolis is considered remote. The potential trilateral meeting is tentatively scheduled for the end of the week, by which time most heads of state will have left New York and Mr. Guterres’s schedule of bilateral meetings—which includes more than 180 meetings—will have lightened significantly.
SEE ALSO: VIDEO: María Ángela Olguín Attends Christodoulides’ Speech at the UN
The Climate Surrounding the Cyprus Issue
The atmosphere, however, is described as unfavorable for such a development, at a time when Secretary-General Guterres’s room to maneuver is narrowing to bring about significant progress, and the risk of failure in the effort to resume talks on the Cyprus issue is now apparent. Nicosia believes that after the Christodoulides-Guterres meeting, it will have a clearer picture of what lies ahead
READ ALSO: “Utter hypocrisy”: Christodoulides urged Erdogan to implement the UN Charter and called on him to allow substantive negotiations
A transcript of Christodoulides’ speech
President Christodoulides used strong language yesterday to respond to the Turkish President’s remarks regarding respect for the UN Charter to end the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, calling them “the height of hypocrisy” and urging him to allow substantive negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
Christodoulides’ speech provoked strong reactions in the occupied territories, with the so-called “foreign minister” speaking of a distortion of facts and baseless accusations. Political analysts’ assessments focus on the pre-election climate prevailing in the occupied territories and on whether the talks on the Cyprus issue will be productive and effective, given the polarization surrounding the so-called “parliamentary elections.”
SEE ALSO: Harsh attack by the “Foreign Ministry” on Christodoulides: “Distortion of facts and baseless accusations against Turkey”
READ ALSO: Christodoulides’ full speech: He criticized Erdogan, praised Guterres’ leadership, and extolled Cyprus’ role
