Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis expressed hope that the meeting the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will have with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman February 11, will be a step towards the resumption of the Cyprus peace talks.
The meeting was announced Sunday by the 'presidency' in the north.
Letymbiotis told the Cyprus News Agency that this is the first contact the SG will have with Erhurman since he became leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, about four months ago.
He went on to say that any contact with the United Nations, especially at the Secretary-General's level is in fact positive and potentially constructive.
Resuming negotiations
Letymbiotis told the Cyprus News Agency that at a time when all efforts are being made, in a systematic manner, to create the conditions for the resumption of the peace dialogue, ''we hope that the meeting will be a step towards the resumption of the negotiations''.
''We hope that the meeting will pave the way for the resumption of the talks, as is the declared will of the Secretary-General himself, with the aim of continuing the process from where it left off, within the agreed framework'', the Spokesperson noted.
He once again said that the Greek Cypriot side is ready for the resumption of talks from where they left off and this will is a given and has been repeatedly and clearly expressed by President Nikos Christodoulides, including the last meeting he had with T/c leader, in the presence of UNSG personal envoy Maria Holguin.
Letymbiotis noted that our stance is firm that convening an expanded meeting under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General is crucial for achieving substantial progress and strengthening the overall effort.