The leaders of the two communities pledged to continue engaging in efforts to finalise the UNSG’s Terms of Reference for an effective dialogue and will hold a tripartite meeting after the UN General Assembly.
A statement issued by the United Nations Spokesperson in Cyprus on behalf of the Greek Cypriot leader, Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mustafa Akıncı following their meeting at the UNPA on Friday, said the leaders also welcomed the implementation of the confidence building measures they had proposed at their February meeting and assured they will work to intensify the work of the Technical Committees.
The statement said that Anastasiades and Akinci “met at the Chief of Mission’s residence in the United Nations Protected Area under the auspices of Special Representative/Deputy Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Ms. Elizabeth Spehar”.
The two leaders, it added, “had a sincere and constructive exchange of views and they discussed in depth the basic principles. They decided to continue engaging in the efforts undertaken by Ms. Jane Holl Lute with the determination to finalise the Terms of Reference that would enable structured and results-oriented negotiations leading to a settlement with a sense of urgency”.
The two leaders also decided to announce their readiness to hold a tripartite meeting with the Secretary-General after the United Nations General Assembly in order to plan the way forward, it further said.
Regarding confidence-building measures, the two leaders “welcomed the implementation of the confidence-building measures they formerly announced, including the electricity interconnectivity and mobile phone interoperability that would facilitate greater interaction between the two communities”.
The two leaders also “reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying the work of the Technical Committees with the objective of improving the daily lives of all Cypriots and to implementing further confidence-building measures, with UN support.”
The last informal meeting of the two leaders was held on February 26, with President Anastasiades stating after the meeting that they agreed with the Turkish Cypriot leader to make every effort in order to formulate the terms of reference, so that they are able to embark on a creative and effective dialogue.
The United Nations had announced after the meeting that the two leaders took a series of decisions regarding Confidence Building Measures (CBMs). Among others, they agreed to make permanent the arrangement for the supply of electricity, and proceed with the interoperability of mobile phones, a measure which was launched eventually on July 11. They also took decisions to clean up the mines in nine hazardous areas, the Turkish Cypriot side decided to return artworks belonging to Greek Cypriot artists and the Greek Cypriot side said that it would hand over visual and audio recordings of Turkish Cypriot artists from the CyBC archives.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. Turkey has ignored numerous UN resolutions calling for the withdrawal of the Turkish troops and respect of the integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The last round of negotiations, in the summer of 2017, at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
(Cyprus News Agency)
