Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letympiotis as noted by Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letympiotis. Following the meeting, he reported that the political leaders were briefed on the President’s recent meetings with Tufan Erhurman and his contacts with María Ángela Olguín, which led to “a shared recognition of the progress made as a result of the efforts personally undertaken by the UN Secretary-General.”

Mr. Letympiotis explained that the government maintains constant and close contact with the United Nations at every level, with the aim of convening a new Informal Multilateral Conference that “will serve as a springboard for resuming talks from the point at which they were suspended in the previous negotiation process.”

The Government Spokesperson announced Ms. Olgin’s return for talks with Christodoulides and Erciyuman, “a move welcomed by all the leaders.”

“These moments may be decisive; the coming period may be critical, and what is required is unity. This does not mean agreement on every point, but rather a shared focus, a shared perspective, coordination, and a shared assessment of the challenges and difficulties.”

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We need neither exaggeration nor complacency, but unity, solidarity, and hard work from everyone, emphasized DISY President Annita Dimitriou following the National Council meeting on developments regarding the Cyprus issue, stressing that the national interest takes precedence over political parties and other agendas.

At the same time, she noted that new opportunities are emerging that must be pursued with seriousness and strategy, while referring to Turkey’s aspirations regarding the European Union, which can serve as leverage, provided that the demand for two states is abandoned and progress is made on the Cyprus issue.

“What we take away from the National Council meeting is that, yes, some new opportunities are emerging that we must exploit seriously and strategically. As we always emphasize, this must be done while keeping in mind the broader developments not only in our region but also internationally. The United Nations, at the initiative of the Secretary-General, is making a substantial effort to convene a new, expanded “5+1” conference aimed at resuming talks. At the same time, Turkey’s aspirations regarding the European Union are creating circumstances that can serve as leverage; provided that Turkey abandons its unacceptable “claim” for two states and, of course, progress is made on the Cyprus issue. We reiterated today how important it is for the EU to appoint a special envoy and how crucial this is for future developments. We emphasize that at this time, there is no need for either exaggeration or complacency. What is needed is unity, solidarity, and hard work from everyone. The national interest takes precedence over political parties or other agendas. We need to make a concerted effort at all levels. That is what we are doing. And that is what we are focusing on. And the more united we are internally, the stronger we are externally.”

The Greek Cypriot side must always reaffirm and declare its political will to engage in negotiations, effectively continuing the negotiations with the aim of soon reaching an initial strategic understanding that will mark the inevitable path toward achieving a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, AKEL General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou said on Monday in remarks following the conclusion of the National Council meeting at the Presidential Palace.

According to Mr. Stefanou, the political leaders were briefed by the President of the Republic regarding the various contacts and discussions taking place in connection with the progress of implementing the intention of the Secretary-General of theto convene an informal, expanded meeting aimed at paving the way for the resumption of negotiations and discussing the remaining issues in the Cyprus problem in order to reach a solution.

“We are still in the process of holding meetings and exploring options. It is well known that this role has been assumed by Ms. Olgin, the Personal Envoy of UN Secretary-General Guterres. We will have a clearer picture when Ms. Olgin returns to Cyprus so we can see what she heard and what was discussed, especially during the meetings she held in Turkey, because that is where the key to efforts to resume negotiations lies,” he went on to note.

“We at AKEL consider it extremely important, in light of the current momentum in the Cyprus issue, that our positions be very clear regarding how we approach the entire process. We must continually reiterate that we want negotiations to resume from the point at which they were suspended in 2017, while preserving the areas of convergence and building on the framework presented by the Secretary-General at Crans-Montana,” Mr. Stefanou continued.

“To that end, therefore, we must always reaffirm and declare our political will, through this approach, to engage in negotiations, effectively continuing the negotiations with the aim of soon reaching an initial strategic understanding that will mark the inevitable path toward achieving a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem. Therefore, in the coming period, I believe that with this briefing we will be wiser,” he emphasized.

When asked whether the briefing they received from the President of the Republic conveyed that the Secretary-General’s goal is to reach a strategic consensus by the end of the year, the AKEL Secretary-General replied in the negative.

“This is what the Secretary-General outlined in his September 2017 report, in which he provided an assessment and a record of the efforts he himself made to reach Crans-Montana, including what took place there. The Secretary-General’s goal at that time was to reach a strategic understanding—meaning agreement on all the key issues— so that there would also be time to discuss the other issues that would constitute the comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem,” he further noted.

“I’m not sure that the Secretary-General, in the time he has left to complete his term, will be able to do all this work to reach a strategic understanding. What is certain, however, is that the Secretary-General wants to leave something for his successor, so that his successor—whoever that may be—can continue the effort and help us reach such a solution,” he concluded.

The need to clarify, from now on, the conditions and objectives of the Republic of Cyprus in the event of new initiatives leading to negotiations was expressed by ELAM President Christos Christou, following the National Council meeting on Monday.

In his remarks, Mr. Christou stated that the members of the National Council were briefed by the President of the Republic, Nicos Christodoulides, “regarding the new initiative by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.”

The ELAM President said that, on behalf of the National Popular Front, the party reiterated its long-standing position that it opposes a solution based on the framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

He added that for any new initiatives leading to negotiations, it must be made clear from the outset “what the preconditions are and what the Republic of Cyprus’s clear objectives are in light of these specific developments.”

“We are awaiting further initiatives,” he concluded.

DIKO supports the initiatives of the President of the Republic aimed at having the UN Secretary-General convene an expanded international conference as soon as possible, said party President Nikolas Papadopoulos, in remarks following the National Council meeting, noting the important role the EU can play. 

As Mr. Papadopoulos said, the President of the Republic provided a briefing on his contacts as well as the possible next steps in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue.

“We support the initiatives of the President of the Republic aimed at having the UN Secretary-General convene an expanded international conference as soon as possible, in the hope that this conference will be a substantive one, a conference that we hope will announce the resumption of negotiations within the agreed framework set forth in UN resolutions,” he said. 

The DIKO President said that the party’s view is that the EU had a very important role to play in this regard.

“Within the framework of the discussions concerning EU-Turkey relations, Europe can exert pressure on Turkey and provide the necessary incentives so that the Turkish side approaches these discussions with aand with the hope that it will back down from its intransigent positions, which are hindering the resumption of negotiations,” noted Mr. Papadopoulos. 

For this very reason, he added, both DIKO and other parliamentary parties “must take our own initiatives at the European level so that we can exert pressure in this direction and join forces to support the initiatives of the President of the Republic to resume negotiations as soon as possible.”

He described the ongoing initiative by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, regarding the Cyprus issue as a positive development.

In remarks made after the conclusion of the National Council meeting on Monday, Mr. Michaelides described the session as very useful.

“It was also the first time we participated as the Alma movement; we thanked the President for the invitation. We expressed the view that this juncture—in which the UN Secretary-General sees a window of opportunity ahead of his own departure— a person, a figure who knows the Cyprus issue very well and also has the institutional role to act as a catalyst for a solution to the Cyprus problem, is a positive juncture,” he said.

He added that the movement expressed its views regarding the principles that should govern the resolution of the Cyprus issue and discussed further aspects related to the process to be followed.

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The leader of “Direct Democracy” , who participated for the first time in a session of the Council under its new composition, as determined by last May’s elections for the House of Representatives.

After the session, Mr. Panagiotou stated that, at present, “Direct Democracy” has no official position on the Cyprus issue and that, once it observes “greater momentum,” they will consult with their supporters and decide whether they are for or against a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

In response to a journalist’s observation that there is already movement on the Cyprus issue and whether the party he leads should reconsider the possibility of formulating positions, Mr. Panayiotou said that “no answers will be given.”