“I have just concluded my meeting with Mr. Erhurman.”
María Ángela Olguín – Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General
The meeting focused on confidence-building measures and efforts to reach an agreement on opening a roadblock, which would lead to an informal five-party meeting.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The Colombian official acknowledged that the odds are stacked against her.
“We discussed many issues. I am optimistic, and I hope I am not the only one on the island. I will continue to work. It was a good meeting.”
María Ángela Olguín – UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy
Olgin remained tight-lipped about whether there is light at the end of the tunnel following Friday’s meeting between Tufan Erhurman and Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey.
However, all signs indicate that during her meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader, issues were raised on which there may be room for compromise.
It is telling that she has scheduled a second meeting with President Christodoulides for 3:15 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, always with the five-party talks as the backdrop, before the end of António Guterres’s term.
“It is an entirely achievable goal. What is needed is political will. And at the same time, let me remind you that, for our part, we are constantly submitting proposals and suggestions on how we believe we can achieve this result.”
Nikos Christodoulides – President of the Republic
It remains to be seen whether there will be a second meeting between Olgin and Erhurman before her joint meeting with the two leaders, exactly one week from now.
In any case, the Turkish Cypriot leader is departing for Istanbul on Wednesday to participate in the Bosphorus Summit and will return to Cyprus on Friday.
In the coming days, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy will meet with delegations from the municipalities of Famagusta and Morphou. As Simos Ioannou mentioned on the “Alpha News” program, these meetings are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
“All right, our positions are clear. We will definitely demand that the return of the enclosed area of Famagusta be included in the Terms of Reference, under the auspices of the UN, so that it can be returned.”
Maria Olgin will also hold meetings with civil society groups and political parties.
Watch Giorgos Georgiadis’s report:
