Christodoulides after meeting Erhürman: “very good and constructive discussion” to continue during UN envoy Holguín’s visit

President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman met in Nicosia on 27 October, ahead of the arrival of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín. Speaking afterwards, Christodoulides described a “very good and constructive discussion” that, he said, will continue during her visit, according to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).

What the state news agency reported

CNA reported on the morning of 27 October that the meeting was scheduled for 11 am at the premises of the United Nations Good Offices Mission in Nicosia, and that the leaders would also consult the technical committees and civil society. Around midday the agency quoted the President as saying that the Greek Cypriot side was demonstrating its commitment to progress on the Cyprus issue, and that he hoped for positive results from the meeting with Erhürman.

After returning from the meeting, Christodoulides gave statements in which he spoke of the “very good and constructive discussion” and said it would carry on while Holguín is in Cyprus. The CNA items available to us do not set out what was discussed in detail, and the full agency text is behind a subscription wall.

Background: talks that have not resumed

On 18 October Christodoulides said Erhürman’s interview showed that “conditions and preconditions” were being set by the Turkish side for the resumption of talks, as we reported at the time. He added that the key to a solution lies in Turkey, and that if talks restart from where they left off in Crans-Montana, the points of disagreement are well known. The two leaders had already appeared together at the Pyla Peace Festival, as covered in our report on the festival, where a new meeting was announced.

On 26 October, a day before the meeting, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the President had told the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Khassim Diagne, of the government’s increasingly strong desire to see no violations or attempted violations of the status quo in the buffer zone by the Turkish Cypriot side, CNA reported.

The fenced-off area of Famagusta, which Christodoulides has raised in a letter to the UN Secretary-General, is explained in our Varosha explainer.

What comes next

Holguín’s visit is the next step. CNA’s reporting indicates that the exchange between the two leaders is to continue while she is on the island. No date for the resumption of formal negotiations has been announced in the sources we read. The northern part of the island remains under Turkish occupation.