Ideas, opinions, and formulations that are not part of the public domain, consensus, or agreement among all parties involved, said Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kompos, when asked to comment on reports referring to a specific proposal—“formula”—for resolving the Cyprus issue.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his meeting with the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, Ferit Hoxha, when asked to comment on the relevant reports and the reactions they provoked, Mr. Kombos said that “they do not warrant any special comment, because they are of no particular significance.”

“What matters is the Personal Envoy herself and the Secretary-General—where they will ultimately decide to go regarding how to proceed. Everyone may have ideas, opinions, approaches, and various proposals in mind. That does not mean they represent a common ground in terms of convergence or agreement among all parties involved,” he noted.

When asked about tomorrow’s meeting between the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy on the Cyprus Issue, María Ángela Olguín, the Minister said that “we need to see what briefing the Secretary-General will receive and what decisions he will make regarding how we proceed from here.”

“I don’t think the next step is a matter of political will. It’s a matter of whether all parties are ready to move in that direction. From our side, there is no doubt that we have sought to ensure progress. “We sought to ensure a role and involvement for the European Union through the Personal Envoy—a position for which the government was criticized, and the President of the Republic was criticized,” he said, adding that we have now reached a point where the EU and the UN themselves are promoting this aspect as potentially having a significant impact.

“There are many details that need to be clarified. Certainly, the meeting between the Personal Envoy and the Secretary-General carries particular weight and significance. We’ll have to wait and see the outcome and how they assess the intentions of all the parties involved,” he said.

When asked to comment on the fact that, based on announcements from the Turkish Cypriot side, it appears we are not on the same page, he said that “we are moving at the pace we need to be, not only keeping pace with the UN Secretary-General and his own will, but staying one step ahead, striving precisely to advance and reinforce this pace and momentum.”

Moreover, he added, “This is what we’ve been saying from the start; this is what we tried to do during periods of stagnation—we emphasized the importance of the EU, we highlighted that importance, and for that we were criticized. Right now, however, we see that it is being recognized by all participants.”

He noted that the question remains as to how Turkey will react to this reality, “hoping that it will lead us back to the negotiating table to address the substance of the Cyprus issue, always exclusively, of course, within the parameters set by the UN Security Council.”