President ‘optimistic’ on Cyprus talks as UN prepares settlement framework

President Nikos Christodoulides expressed optimism on Sunday regarding the restarting of negotiations on the Cyprus problem.

Speaking after participating in a charity run in Ayia Napa, he said he expects a positive response from Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhuman.

“There is no reason for the Turkish Cypriot leader not to accept a meeting,” he said.

“At some point we will have to reach the finish line. I am optimistic with what I have heard from the secretary-general, and I hope that there will be a similar response from all other sides. Thus, this clear political will with planning will be transformed into a specific initiative that will bring results.”

Christodoulides’s comments follow discussions with Antonio Guterres, who is reportedly preparing a settlement framework intended to guide his successor once his term in office concludes in December.

According to information divulged by Phileleftheros, the framework would broadly mirror Guterres’ proposed 2017 model, covering sovereignty, powers of the central government, and provisions on troop withdrawal, without specifying timing or methodology.

Guterres has reportedly proposed a three-step approach, that being to reaffirm past convergences from Crans-Montana, the formation of a singular unifying citizenship, sovereignty and international representation for the post-solution state, and convene a new international conference to resume negotiations.

Christodoulides stressed on Sunday that confidence-building measures alone cannot substitute for substantive negotiations. “

We have a common goal with the Secretary-General and that goal concerns the substance of the Cyprus issue, that is where our focus lies,” he said, adding that both he and Guterres share the view that progress should be achieved before the end of the UN chief’s term in December.

The government has previously suggested a specific date for a new meeting between Christodoulides and Erhurman, spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Friday, while awaiting a response from the Turkish Cypriot side.

“So far there has been no response. We are waiting, and once it is determined there will be announcements,” he said.

Erhurman has publicly criticised Christodoulides’ recent statements as “inconsistent, unfounded, and unserious,” particularly regarding comments made on Greece’s Independence Day and proposals on the British bases.

He described suggested crossing points, including Athienou and Lidinis Street, as “throwing a spanner in the works and pushing the matter towards an impossible outcome,” while insisting on the rotating presidency as a precondition for talks.

Letymbiotis had emphasised that the republic “remains committed to the side of the UN secretary-general for the definitive resolution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.”