The UN Secretary-General wants to ensure proper preparation before issuing invitations for an informal multilateral conference on the Cyprus issue, which is expected to take place in the new year, with UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo’s regional visit forming part of the preparatory work.
Antonio Guterres appears to be following a similar approach to October’s informal dinner meeting, where his thorough preparation led to productive outcomes.
Sources say he wants to replicate this successful strategy for the upcoming informal multilateral meeting.
UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča, speaking to members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, indicated that the Secretary-General’s new initiative might begin in early 2025, noting that the expanded conference would include the guarantor powers.
Jenča assured that the UN “remains committed to acting within the framework defined by relevant Cyprus resolutions regarding the solution’s content”.
He emphasised that the Secretary-General seeks thorough preparation to enhance the conference’s chances of success.
President Christodoulides stated yesterday that the understanding reached during the informal dinner in New York was that a bilateral meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar would precede the multilateral conference.
He confirmed that the Secretary-General informed him about ongoing preparations for the informal five-party conference.
The president noted that DiCarlo would visit the region to make necessary preparations, emphasising the importance of achieving concrete results.
He revealed that following his return from New York, he had sent a letter to the Secretary-General and communicated through the negotiator in Nicosia their readiness to meet with Tatar, possibly as soon as next week.
Regarding developing relations with Azerbaijan, Christodoulides highlighted the significance of the first visit within an international conference framework, particularly emphasising the substantial meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries in Azerbaijan.
