The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to host a dinner for President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in New York, sparking speculation about a potential new initiative for Cyprus.
Diplomatic sources suggest Guterres may have a roadmap in mind to unlock the stalled peace process. The dinner comes shortly after separate meetings between Guterres and the two leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Nicosia has expressed readiness to resume negotiations from where they left off in Crans-Montana in 2017. However, the Turkish Cypriot side continues to insist on sovereign equality as a precondition and promotes moving away from the concept of a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
The content of a document given to Guterres by Maria Angela Olgin remains unknown, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the Secretary-General’s intentions.
Diplomatic circles are concerned about two potential scenarios: Guterres attempting to bridge the positions of both sides, which could alter the Greek Cypriot stance or the initiation of a new time-bound process similar to that of 2004.
Sources from the Greek Cypriot side said that there cannot be suffocating timelines, whilst acknowledging that any new initiative is unlikely to have an open-ended timeframe.
Tatar’s stance at the dinner remains uncertain, with Turkish Cypriot media occasionally hinting at a possible shift in Ankara’s position.
This comes amidst reports of a political crisis in the occupied north and speculation about potential leadership changes.
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