President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said he hopes ongoing contacts on the Cyprus issue could lead to positive developments in the coming hours. He was speaking after a brief meeting on Tuesday afternoon with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín.
Holguín’s message
Asked by journalists whether Holguín’s message created hope or prospects, Christodoulides said he believed it “creates prospects for positive developments”. He added that he would be in a position to give an update with greater certainty on Wednesday, once he had also been briefed.
Three areas under discussion
Asked whether the possible positive developments could concern the opening of crossing points, Christodoulides said this was only one aspect.
“There are three aspects of the Secretary-General: the CBMs, the methodology and the substance,” he said, adding that the discussion covered all three areas.
A specific response from Nicosia
The President described the meeting as “very brief”. He said a specific briefing had taken place and that Holguín had received a specific response from the Republic of Cyprus.
He called for “a few more hours to be given to diplomacy” and said that, as he understood it, the Secretary-General was fully informed about all the meetings.
Expectation of positive developments
“In the coming hours we will be in a position to say with certainty that there are positive developments. That is our aim, that is our expectation,” he said.
Christodoulides said he was pleased that the Greek Cypriot side’s continued submission of proposals and suggestions was being acknowledged, and that it also demonstrated the initiative being taken. However, he stressed that the key objective was to receive news that would open the way to positive developments.
Source: CNA
