UN confirms Monday meeting between Christodoulides, Erhurman and Holguin

The United Nations confirmed on Thursday that a trilateral meeting between the two Cypriot leaders and UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin will take place on Monday, November 9, at 11am. According to a statement issued by the UN in Cyprus, Holguin will host President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman at the residence of the Head of Mission within the UN Protected Area. The announcement comes as Christodoulides expressed optimism earlier on Thursday over possible positive developments in the Cyprus problem, revealing that Holguin had told him during a telephone conversation that specific announcements could be made over the weekend. “We are in a process which, based on the information available so far, appears to point towards positive developments. We are at a stage of waiting, of awaiting final answers, if you like, and as the Personal Envoy told me, we may have specific announcements over the weekend,” he said. “The Secretary-General is being kept continuously informed and I sincerely hope that there will be positive developments to announce, as appear to be emerging from the information I receive through the Personal Envoy,” he added. Asked about reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was expected to visit the occupied north on Friday, Christodoulides said he had no information beyond what he had read in the press regarding the possible visit. Asked whether the anticipated developments concerned the opening of additional crossing points, Christodoulides said the discussions were broader in scope. He recalled that the initiative launched immediately after the UN Secretary-General’s visit to Cyprus covered issues of methodology, substance and confidence-building measures. “The discussion is broader,” he stressed. “The concern and desire of the Cypriot people are entirely justified,” Christodoulides said. “This is what I am working towards, which is why we continue to submit proposals and approaches that, yes, I genuinely believe can lead us to a resumption of negotiations, provided there is political will,” he concluded.