The meeting between the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis and the leader of the Turkish Cypriots Ersin Tatar will take place on October 15 in New York, reported the Cypriot publication "Cyprus Mail" . According to a statement issued by Tatar's office, the format of the meeting will be an "informal dinner" without a predetermined agenda, and the leaders will exchange views in an informal setting, quoted by BTA.
The announcement states that the date has also been approved by the Greek Cypriot side after consultations with the office of Antonio Guterres. It is expected that in the near future the UN Secretary General will officially send invitations to both countries.
The spokesman for the government of the Republic of Cyprus, Konstantinos Lethimbiotis, said that the authorities are awaiting official information about the planned meeting. After returning from New York on September 30, Ersin Tatar confirmed that he had agreed to participate in an informal meeting with Christodoulidis at the suggestion of Guterres. He specified that during the session of the UN General Assembly in New York he discussed this initiative with the Secretary General.
Historical context of the Cyprus conflict
Cyprus has remained divided in two since 1974, when the Turkish army invaded the north of the island in response to a coup d'etat organized to join Cyprus with Greece. In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognized only by Turkey, was unilaterally declared in the northern part of the island.
Negotiations conducted under the auspices of the UN to resolve the Cyprus issue have so far been unsuccessful. The last round of negotiations in July 2017 in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana also ended without a result. Turkey continues to push for a two-state solution, while the Republic of Cyprus and Greece remain in favor of a federal solution.