President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said his 19 points remain on the table, rejecting the suggestion that today’s meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman would cover only the seven confidence-building measures (CBMs) referred to by the UN Secretary-General. He made the remarks to journalists this afternoon as he left the Presidential Palace for the meeting.
Agenda set by mutual agreement
Asked whether, as Mr Erhürman had stated, only the seven CBMs would be discussed, the President said that “the agenda is set by mutual understanding, and there is no such understanding”.
“I am going with a very good disposition and political will, to continue the discussion from where we left off at our last meeting before we went to New York, which was a meeting with a positive outcome. I repeat, I hope some specific positive results will emerge,” he said.
The 19 points
Asked whether the 19 points were still on the table, Mr Christodoulides replied: “Of course they are on the table. The Secretary-General knows, Mr Erhürman knows, and he reserved his response for our next meeting.”
He said he had submitted the points specifically before the trip to New York. “Despite our wishes, it was not possible to hold a meeting in New York, so today we will discuss them, and of course any issue Mr Erhürman wants. We have no problem,” he said.
“We fear neither dialogue nor negotiations”
The President added: “We fear neither dialogue, nor discussions, nor negotiations.”
