“I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but I am determined. And I will do everything in my power to resolve the Cyprus issue by the last day of my term.”
That was the promise made on March 12 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres from Ankara. At that time, a drone originating from Lebanon opened the door to discussions regarding the troops and guarantees in Cyprus.
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Guterres seized the opportunity. And today… he’s stepping on the gas, putting his best cards on the table.
A solution in five months
Guterres’s ultimate goal—so that history will record him in its golden pages—is none other than resolving the Cyprus issue before the end of his term. That is, within the next five months.
No, he does not intend to simply leave behind a document, as President Christodoulides implied in March to the members of the National Council.
To demonstrate this determination, Guterres will arrive on the island on the evening of Monday, July 27, along with his entire Cyprus team. Maria Olgin will be waiting for them; she has been in Cyprus since Sunday evening. Guterres will be accompanied by Rosemary DiCarlo, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and ten other officials from New York.
The Secretary-General is placing great emphasis on public relations, with a packed agenda and the highlight of the visit being the dinner he will host for all parties involved in the Cyprus issue, on Tuesday evening at the old Nicosia airport.
The packed agenda includes separate meetings with the two leaders, meetings with members of civil society, and a joint meeting with the two leaders on Wednesday morning.
In a positive scenario, he hopes for announcements regarding the holding of the informal five-party talks around the end of August or sometime around the UN General Assembly in September.
Specifically, Guterres’s schedule begins on Tuesday, July 28, with a meeting with President Nicos Christodoulides at 10:30 a.m. at the Presidential Palace. This will be immediately followed by a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman at 11:45 a.m. in the occupied areas.
In the afternoon of the same day, Guterres will visit the Committee on Missing Persons at the old Nicosia airport for a briefing, followed by an introductory meeting with representatives of civil society.
On Tuesday evening, the UN Secretary-General will host a dinner.
On Wednesday morning, Guterres, Christodoulides, and Erciyuman will meet at 10 a.m.
At 11:30 a.m., a brief press conference is scheduled for the Secretary-General to make statements to journalists.
He will then depart from the island.
According to Alpha News, Maria Olgin played a decisive role in arranging this trip, was Maria Olgin, who convinced him to come to the island to resolve the issues that arose regarding the five-party talks.
The original plan involved a tour of countries in the Middle East.
Watch Giorgos Georgiadis’s report:
