President: New York meeting’s aim is to create conditions for resuming talks

President Nikos Christodoulides reaffirmed his commitment to creating conditions for the resumption of talks on the Cyprus problem during a speech on Monday evening.

The President made his remarks while attending the inauguration of a sculpture exhibition by artist Filippos Yiapanis at the ‘Little Salamis’ sculpture park in Fasoula, Limassol.

During his speech, Christodoulides said that he would be travelling to New York, where a tripartite meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to take place on October 15, “with the sole aim of fostering conditions for the dialogue on the Cyprus problem to resume”.

He said he was encouraged by a productive National Council meeting earlier in the day, describing it as one of the most constructive sessions held.

Christodoulides acknowledged the significance of the upcoming discussions in New York, where he will attend meetings related to the Cyprus problem.

“I fully understand the importance and responsibilities,” he noted, stating that his primary objective is to create the right conditions for dialogue to restart within the agreed framework, with the ultimate goal of freeing and reunifying Cyprus.

Greek Cypriot negotiator for the Cyprus problem, Menelaos Menelaou, said on Saturday that the meeting in New York will “yield the best possible result”.

“What is needed is to ensure that this effort that has begun will continue,” he said.

Asked whether the UNSG would propose anything during the meeting Menelaou said that Guterres “never convenes meetings at his own level, just out of courtesy”.

“He will seek to have, through this meeting, some result,” he said.

“We have conveyed to the UN that we consider that, at this stage, it is necessary to make an evaluation of this first phase of the contacts carried out by the personal envoy of the UN secretary-general and to decide on the next steps,” Menelaou added, referring to Maria Angela Holguin.

“It is important, since such meetings are held, that they have a result.”

In addition to his comments on the upcoming talks, Christodoulides praised Yiapanis’ work, linking the artist’s personal experiences during the 1974 Turkish invasion to his sculptures. He commended Yiapanis for transforming the pain and trauma of that period into artistic expression.