President Christodoulides continues to keep his cards close to his chest regarding the Cyprus issue, refraining from revealing his moves, while governmental statements are made sparingly.
This is the strategy currently chosen by the President of the Republic and his associates on the Cyprus matter. Neither the public statements by Ersin Tatar nor the pressure from the opposition seem capable, at least so far, of altering the government’s approach.
Officials at the Palace insist that there have been proposals from the Secretary-General which both the President of the Republic and the government spokesperson do not wish to disclose.
This is despite pressures from parties to be informed about both Guterres’ proposals and the broader situation as it unfolds in Cyprus.
Nikos Christodoulides, wanting to keep his cards close, indicated that “we work not through public statements, we work with the United Nations so that there are prospects for mobility in Cyprus.”
He appeared well-informed about what was discussed in the meeting between the UN Secretary-General and the Turkish Cypriot leader.
He also reiterated yesterday that there are proposals and he is aware of them but does not consider it appropriate to disclose them: “There were specific proposals, a specific discussion. But I do not deem it appropriate to publicise anything. We focus on the substance.”
In this context of positioning, government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis also commented: “We are positive about the proposals of the SG, remain positive, and will continue to cooperate intensively with the UN and the SG’s personal envoy.”
When asked whether the SG’s proposal is about substance or procedure, the government spokesperson responded: “Often, the procedure is connected to the substance, and the substance is connected to the procedure.”
Wanting to end the discussion, he stated that “at this point, we believe it is not beneficial to continue this discussion.”
Political parties, however, continue to exert pressure on President Christodoulides to convene a session of the National Council so that political leadership can be updated on developments in Cyprus.
AKEL, in its statement responding to the President’s declaration that he had received proposals from the UN Secretary-General, demanded the convening of the National Council so that “the President informs, as he should, the political forces about the content of the proposals.”
AKEL suggests that “if Mr. Christodoulides genuinely believes that the effort to achieve a solution should be collective, then he cannot ignore the political forces in such a provocative manner.”
Konstantinos Letymbiotis reminded that “the National Council has been convened five times so far.” He added that “the President will convene the National Council when the circumstances differentiate from the last National Council.”
In his statements, the government spokesperson refuted the claim that there is a six-month timeframe for Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar.
He indicated that there is nothing similar in the terms of Ms. Cuellar’s mandate, meaning her appointment is not for a duration of six months.
