On Monday morning, September 30, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar confirmed his agreement to take part in an “informal dinner” with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Christodoulides, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Speaking at Ercan Airport after returning from New York, where he attended meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Tatar said the proposal came from Guterres during their meeting on Saturday, September 28. He noted that he agreed to participate on the condition that the meeting remain informal and would not include formal negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
Tatar emphasized that this event could become the basis for “informal consultations in the 4+1 format” with the participation of representatives of the Turkish Cypriots, Turkey, Greek Cypriots, Greece and the UN to discuss the future of the island.
The Government of Cyprus also commented on this news. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said information about a possible meeting was “converging” and official confirmation from the UN was expected soon. He added: “This is an important development that should not be underestimated.”
The initiative for an informal meeting came after unsuccessful attempts to organize negotiations between Christodoulides and Tatar earlier in August. The Cypriot President said the meeting was the result of “our persistent efforts” aimed at both the UN and the European Union, stressing that he has not stopped working to break the deadlock in negotiations since they broke down in Crans-Montana in 2017 year.
Tatar previously stated that he was not invited to such a meeting and, even if he received an invitation, would refuse to participate. Letimbiotis explained that no invitations had yet been issued, but that both sides had been “probed” about a possible meeting.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
