President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday there is a window of opportunity on the Cyprus problem that runs until the end of the UN Secretary-General’s term, adding that talks cannot continue indefinitely.
Speaking to reporters as he left the Presidential Palace to travel to the residence of the Qatari Ambassador, Christodoulides said efforts to restart negotiations had been under way for some time. “Consultations and preparations began a while ago,” he said. “Ms Olgín is coming to continue and further strengthen them, but the effort has been under way for some time — through meetings, through contacts, away from the spotlight — so as to create the conditions to achieve the goal of restarting talks. And I truly hope we will reach that goal.”
Asked whether there was a solution plan in place, Christodoulides said the immediate focus was on a first step. “An effort is being made, as a first step, to restart talks that will lead to an outcome — a final outcome,” he said. “We cannot discuss indefinitely. There is this window of opportunity, which is defined by the end of the Secretary-General’s term by the end of the year, and we truly desire, more than anyone else, to reach a positive outcome.”
He said the Secretary-General was fully committed and had personally engaged in the effort, and expressed hope that positive results would follow.
Christodoulides was also asked about his earlier meeting with the Indian Foreign Minister. He said the meeting followed on from discussions he had held with the Indian Prime Minister, focusing specifically on the IMEC corridor. “The various components of this very important economic, geostrategic and political corridor are beginning to take shape, and I am pleased that we are moving towards implementation,” he said.
Asked separately whether he would meet with livestock farmers, Christodoulides said he was in continuous contact with them and that an internal meeting on foot-and-mouth disease was scheduled for the afternoon.
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