The possibility of a trilateral meeting on the Cyprus issue in New York remains open, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said following his meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Christodoulides said the Secretary-General is considering such a meeting, but clarified that it would also require a positive response from the Turkish Cypriot side.
This does not necessarily contradict an earlier statement by Guterres that no meeting in a 3+1 or 5+1 format is expected on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The formats are different: a trilateral meeting would bring together the Secretary-General and the two leaders, while the 3+1 and 5+1 formats involve broader participation.
Nikos Christodoulides said he was prepared to extend his stay in New York for a joint meeting to take place.
The Cypriot president also said he presented the Secretary-General with new ideas on substantive issues, the negotiating process and confidence-building measures. According to Christodoulides, the proposals were received positively.
He added that he was prepared to extend his stay in New York if the Secretary-General considered it necessary for a joint meeting to take place.
The goal, he said, remains to make progress towards the resumption of negotiations. In this context, he stressed the need to build on what had been achieved in the talks up to the final day of negotiations at Crans-Montana.
Source:ΡΙΚ
