It is very likely that a meeting between the UN Secretary – General, Antonio Guterres, and the two leaders in Cyprus, namely Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, will take place later this month in New York, diplomatic sources have told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
The diplomatic sources noted that it should be expected that Guterres will make use of the opportunity provided by the fact that both Anastasiades and Tatar will be present in New York, and that he will seek to have a joint meeting with them, with a view to discuss the current situation in the Cyprus problem. Guterres will also hold separate meetings with the two leaders.
The same sources noted that on the substance nothing seems to have changed, since the Turkish Cypriot side continues to insist on its demand for sovereign equality.
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has underlined in a letter he sent on August 30 to Guterres and also in public statements his readiness to participate in a trilateral meeting with Guterres and Tatar.
On his part Tatar asked about the possibility of having such a meeting he noted that he is always open to dialogue and to any unofficial meeting, in order to express his positions in detail.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Numerous UN backed talks to reunite the island have failed to yield results.
