Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades expressed his “strong determination” to try and find common ground with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar when they meet at a United Nations-hosted meeting in April.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host the informal meeting that will also be attended by the foreign ministers of Cyprus’ “guarantors” – Greece, Turkey and Britain.
“The purpose of the meeting will be to determine whether common ground exists for the parties to negotiate a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem within a foreseeable horizon,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The meeting will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 27 to 29.
Greece welcomed the announcement of the informal summit on the Cyprus issue.
According to the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry, the aim of this conference is to find common ground that will lead to substantial negotiations towards resolving the Cyprus issue.
A potential solution should be based on UN Security Council resolutions, should be compatible with European Law and should lead to a functional and sustainable bi-communal, bi-zonal federation, the announcement added.
Since 1974, Turkey has illegally occupied northern Cyprus and later created the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC) that only Turkey itself recognises and has been deemed illegal by several United Nations Security Council resolutions.
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