There is no possibility of holding the Trilateral Meeting between UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President of the Republic Nicos Christodoulides, and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, on the sidelines of the two-day Leaders’ Summit held as part of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) taking place in Antalya, Turkey.
This was reported by Alpha Cyprus’s correspondent in Antalya, Iakovos Iakovou, explaining that Mr. Erhurman is attending the Conference as a guest of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and not as a head of state, while such a move would significantly elevate the Turkish Cypriot leader’s role at the Summit.
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SEE ALSO: The moment President Christodoulides arrives in Antalya, Turkey (VIDEO)
A few seconds of dialogue
It was UN Secretary-General António Guterres who welcomed President Christodoulides to the Conference, not the Turkish President in his capacity as host of the Summit. During the brief exchange they had, Mr. Guterres informed Mr. Christodoulides that he would be in touch with him and the Turkish Cypriot leader in the coming hours, in order to set a date for the Trilateral Meeting, with the aim of holding it on European soil and within November.
Immediately after his visit to Turkey, the UN Secretary-General will depart for a visit to the Philippines and is then scheduled to return to the U.S.
READ ALSO: PHOTO: Guterres Welcomed Christodoulides at the COP31 Leaders’ Summit; Erdogan Was Playing… “Hide-and-Seek” | AlphaNews
Erhurman’s Welcome
It is also noteworthy that Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman was welcomed at the Conference only by the Turkish President and not by the UN Secretary-General, since such a gesture would amount to recognition of the pseudo-state.
However, upon the President of the Republic’s arrival at Antalya Airport, he was greeted by the EU Ambassador to Turkey and the Director of the Protocol Office of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign AffairsX, a practice followed for all heads of state.
The meeting with Ursula
On the sidelines of the Summit, the President of the Republic met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, with whom he discussed developments regarding the Cyprus issue, the process for Nicosia’s accession to the Schengen Area, and did not fail to express his displeasure at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s absence from the welcome ceremony for him at the Summit.
READ ALSO: The President of the Republic informed Ursula von der Leyen of Erdogan’s absence during his welcome at the COP31 Summit
Preparations by the Ministry of Agriculture
In recent days, technocrats and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture have been in Antalya, Turkey, to prepare for the Republic of Cyprus’s participation in the Conference. The President of the Republic will be the seventh speaker in the order of the proceedings and is expected to address the initiatives of the Cypriot Presidency of the European Council regarding climate change, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
