The leaders of Cyprus’ two divided communities on Thursday agreed to meet weekly after their first talks since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ July visit to the island, signaling an effort to maintain momentum in the stalled reunification process despite continued differences regarding crossing points and a negotiating “road map”.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman meeting came after the recent statements by the latter accusing the Greek Cypriot side of “testing the patience of Turkish Cypriots”.
“We are on the right track, based on what the secretary-general said,” Christodoulidis said after the nearly three-hour meeting, his first with Erhurman since Guterres arrived on Cyprus on July 29.
The two leaders agreed to meet once a week, or more often, if necessary, as part of efforts to advance work toward a renewed and expanded Cyprus conference. Their next meeting has been scheduled for Sept. 2.
The talks covered methodology, the substance of the Cyprus negotiations and confidence-building measures, with the two sides also discussing preparations for the next steps toward an expanded meeting under the UN-backed process. There was no agreement, however, on opening new crossing points between the Turkish-occupied areas of the northern half and the government areas.
The issue remains one of the main areas of disagreement.
The Greek Cypriot side has proposed the simultaneous opening of two crossings, at Mia Milia and along the Athienou-Pyroi-Aglantzia axis. The two sides also remain divided over the broader package of crossings and the sequence in which substantive issues should be addressed.
The leaders’ negotiators, Menelaos Menelaou and Mehmet Dana, held preparatory talks before the meeting but failed to produce a specific agreement. The continuing disagreements over crossing points and the negotiating methodology underscored the difficult starting point for the leaders’ talks.
Christodoulides had said before the meeting that he hoped it would mark the beginning of “intensive and effective consultations,” with the UN General Assembly in New York in September serving as an informal milestone. The two leaders are expected to brief Guterres separately on developments by then.
Guterres’ personal envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, is expected to visit the island in early September as efforts intensify to create the conditions for a resumption of substantive negotiations.
The two leaders’ decision to establish a regular meeting schedule gives the process a more predictable rhythm, but the absence of an agreement on new crossings or other major confidence-building measures means that the next phase will be judged by whether the increased contact produces concrete results.
