Discussions continue at National Council date set

The National Council will convene next Friday following President Nikos Christodoulides’ meeting with the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin in Brussels, it emerged on Friday.

The meeting will be held at 10am and party leaders are expected to be briefed by the president on the latest developments.

Christodoulides had a meeting with Holguin on Thursday on the sidelines of the EU council, and called it “a very productive, and specific discussion”.

Speaking on CyBC’s radio, head of the president’s press office Victoras Papadopoulos was reticent to divulge any further details, reiterating that “what matters most is that discussions are ongoing.”

He added that aside from official meetings, intensive diplomatic efforts behind the scenes are also underway.

Holguin is soon to hand in a report to the UNSG and has “a very clear view and picture” of how to proceed, Papadopoulos said, hinting that a deal over energy matters was the point of leverage.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar is expected to meet Holguin in London on Monday.

Asked if there was optimism about this meeting, Papadopoulos said it was “important to be realistic” and that the impasse would not be broken on Monday.

In earlier statements, Christodoulides had said that the Brussels meeting with the UNSG’s envoy should be interpreted positively and would involve “concrete actions, concrete initiatives, and concrete proposals,” and that the Greek Cypriot side would do “everything possible” to make the mission a success.

Elsewhere, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said that the challenges were noted but optimism for the process remained in New York.

Responding to a question from the Cyprus News Agency about the postponement of Holguin’s trip to Cyprus, Lacroix also underscored the significance of ongoing discussions.

“What is important is that these discussions are ongoing and Ms. Holguin will meet with the leaders of both sides […] We certainly continue to support those efforts […] We are aware of the challenges but we are confident and remain optimistic,” he said.