María Ángela Holguín, the personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General on Cyprus, met Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman on Monday as preparations continue for the trilateral meeting scheduled for 9 November.
The meeting took place at the so-called presidential palace in northern Cyprus and lasted approximately one hour and 20 minutes, according to Turkish Cypriot media reports.
"I am optimistic"
Speaking after the talks, Holguín said the discussion was part of preparations for next Monday's trilateral meeting involving Nikos Christodoulides and Tufan Erhürman.
She said several issues had been discussed but declined to provide details.
"As I said the other day in the south, I am optimistic. I hope I am not the only person on the island who is optimistic about this issue."
Holguín added that she would continue her efforts to achieve progress on the Cyprus issue and described her meeting with Erhürman as "good and productive".
Preparations for the 9 November meeting
Monday's meeting followed Holguín's talks with President Nikos Christodoulides last Friday, after which she also expressed optimism about prospects for movement in the process.
The UN envoy has previously linked the possibility of convening a new expanded 5+1 format meeting to progress on confidence-building measures, negotiating methodology and substantive issues.
Next key milestone
Attention now turns to the 9 November trilateral meeting, where the parties are expected to assess whether conditions exist for further advancing the Cyprus process.
The meeting is viewed as the next major test of efforts to generate momentum in UN-led contacts on the Cyprus issue.
