Enlarged meeting ‘not an end in itself’, Letymbiotis says

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Monday stressed that the convening of an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem must take place with a view to resuming negotiations in earnest to solve it, after the conclusion of the National Council meeting. “In no case could the convening of an enlarged meeting simply for the sake of it ever be an end in itself. The objective of convening an informal enlarged meeting is for it to constitute the springboard for the resumption of negotiations, and there cannot be any other objective,” he said. He added that this must be the case, “taking in to account the timing and also taking into account the fact that it is [United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres] himself … who has undertaken this initiative, in light of the timeframe we have left until the end of his term”. “Therefore, by December, [Guterres] himself aims for substantial developments on the Cyprus issue and this is precisely at the heart, at the core of the discussion on the convening of the next informal meeting,” he said. Related Articles • Reported new Cyprus problem plan ‘neither necessary nor appropriate’ • Erhurman meets predecessors as Cyprus problem efforts ramp up • Christodoulides: EU has ‘most decisive role’ in latest Cyprus problem effort • Erdogan green-lights ‘new initiative’ on Cyprus problem – sources • Guterres has ‘very specific plan’ for Cyprus problem, Christodoulides says It is expected that an enlarged meeting, involving the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the UN, will either be convened towards the end of next month or at the beginning of August. Regarding Monday’s meeting, Letymbiotis said that “what is a common view … is the recognition by all of the renewed mobility on the Cyprus issue, as a result of the new initiative that [Guterres] has personally undertaken”. “At this point, we are in constant communication with the United Nations. Meetings are taking place and contacts are being made at every level, with the aim of convening an informal enlarged meeting as soon as possible,” he said. The recommencement of negotiations, he said, will take place “from the point at which they were interrupted in the previous negotiation process”, which collapsed at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana in 2017. “The safeguarding of the negotiating framework and the reunification of our homeland remains the highest national goal. We will continue, we will utilise every opportunity, every diplomatic window, every initiative which is undertaken,” he said. He went on to say that the latest “initiative” on the Cyprus problem has been “welcomed by all political forces without exception”. “It is a given that the coming period may be decisive, the moments may be critical, and therefore, what the critical nature of the moments requires is unity,” he said. He added that unity “does not necessarily mean” that all political leaders agree on the substance, but that “it means responsibility, it means coordination, it means a common goal, it means a common vision, it means a common assessment of both the challenges and the difficulties … and of the great stakes for our country”. “Our country has a transparent and common understanding that it is strengthening itself internationally, expanding alliances, upgrading itself, and this very upgrading, this very strengthening of all our country’s factors of power, has as its main objective and one and only goal: the resolution of the Cyprus problem,” he said. Asked if Elam in particular welcomes Guterres’ “new initiative”, he stressed again that unity “does not mean” that all sides must agree. “What is important is that the positions are constructive in terms of the effort that [Christodoulides] has undertaken to strengthen, to contribute to [Guterres’] effort. There may be different approaches … but the mobility which has been apparent in recent times cannot be ignored,” he said. Regarding the reports which surfaced over the weekend suggesting that the UN may seek a “looser” solution to the Cyprus problem, he said that there is no space for “creative ambiguities”. “The reason is simple, because the stakes are high, and I think that anyone who has any involvement with the Cyprus issue can understand that in such fundamental issues, there cannot be this creative ambiguity which confuses the bicommunal, bizonal federation with a confederation,” he said, He added that the Greek Cypriot side is both “clear” and “absolute”, and that this position is supported by both “the entire international community” and “the entire European Union”. “Through our many positions, we are not discussing any solution other than the one which is clearly defined in all the UN security council’s resolution; the bizonal, bicommunal federation, with political equality not only in name, but of course also in the essence of this solution,” he said. He added that as such, the Greek Cypriot side is hoping for “even more developments”. “We are at a very critical point in the Cyprus problem. We sought from the first moment of President Christodoulides taking office to break the Turkish intransigence and I think everyone can understand the critical nature of this,” he said.