The chief negotiators of Cyprus' two communities meet in Nicosia this morning in a key preparatory session ahead of the scheduled 26 August meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman.
Representing the Greek Cypriot side will be Menelaos Menelaou, while Erhürman's deputy, Mehmet Dana, will represent the Turkish Cypriot side. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 11am.
The aim of today's discussions is to conduct a substantive review of the outcome of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres' recent contacts during his visit to Cyprus, with a particular focus on preparations for a possible expanded conference on the Cyprus issue.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis has said that President Christodoulides will approach the 26 August meeting with a constructive attitude and that the government will continue pursuing progress on issues such as the opening of new crossing points.
The United Nations has made clear that a new expanded meeting involving the two communities, the three guarantor powers and the UN will take place only if sufficient progress is achieved on confidence-building measures, methodology and the substance of the talks.
Step towards a new 5+1 conference
Speaking to the Turkish Cypriot state broadcaster BRT, Mehmet Dana described the 26 August meeting as the first step in a preparatory process that could lead to a new "5+1" conference aimed at producing results.
According to Dana, the process will begin with an exchange of views on confidence-building measures, followed by discussions on methodology and subsequently on substantive issues within the framework outlined by Guterres.
He added that the Turkish Cypriot side would like these contacts to take place as frequently as possible, with the timetable for future meetings to be determined once the two leaders agree on the pace of the process.
Today's meeting comes shortly after a Cyprus Mail report alleging that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus contacted diplomatic missions in Nicosia by telephone to encourage them not to attend a briefing on the Cyprus issue that Dana was due to deliver yesterday to members of the diplomatic corps at the Home for Cooperation in the UN buffer zone.
Diplomatic sources told Politis that they had intended to attend regardless of the ministry's recommendation.
The report also noted that approximately two weeks earlier, Menelaou had held a similar briefing for foreign diplomats outlining the positions of the Greek Cypriot side.
Erhürman raises questions
Meanwhile, Tufan Erhürman referred to the incident during an interview with Ada TV on Wednesday.
He said some people had already been aware of the reported phone calls to embassies, but that publicity surrounding the matter had now brought it to the attention of Greek Cypriot public opinion as well.
Erhürman questioned whether the Foreign Ministry's handling of the matter creates or strengthens trust, or whether it instead undermines trust, even to the extent that it already exists.
He stressed, however, that he did not wish to escalate tensions and was raising the issue in a calm manner.
The Turkish Cypriot leader further argued that the incident is something that should be taken into consideration by both the United Nations and the European Union.
