The President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, currently in New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), is set to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday.
Guterres will also hold an informal meeting with Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, most likely on September 27.
Expectations from the meetings are low given the unwavering position of the Turkish Cypriot side for recognition of the north’s sovereignty and a two-state solution.
CyBC reported that during the informal, trilateral meeting with the two leaders Guterres is to announce the appointment of his new special representative, to replace the outgoing Elizabeth Spehar.
Anastasiades to brief UN Chief on Cyprus proposal
Anastasiades is expected to brief Guterres on his proposal for a return to the 1960 Constitution made in response to the UNSG’s call for pitching new ideas to break the stalemate.
Earlier in the month, Anastasiades explained that it was not a call to return to a unitary state but rather a call to the Turkish Cypriot side to assume the positions it was intended to based on the 1960 constitution so that a dialogue can start on territorial adjustments and other issues. Tatar has already rejected this proposal.
Anastasiades will address the 76th UN General Assembly on Friday.
Later on Monday, Anastasiades will host a delegation of the American Jewish Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) with whom he will discuss the further enhancement of the strategic relations between Cyprus and Israel, and will brief them on developments in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue.
Anastasiades is also scheduled to visit Ground Zero, where in a special ceremony he will lay a wreath at the Monument to the Victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Pandemic and climate to dominate UNGA
The 76th session of the UN General Assembly is about to kick off its high-level week, where member states will be asked to deliberate on two parallel challenges: ending the pandemic, and redefining the post-pandemic global economy to be healthier for the planet.
The UN sees the current moment as a potential pivot point. “The choices we make will either secure human, economic and environmental health for generations to come, or reinforce old patterns that are destroying nature and driving societal division,” reads the official overview of the week’s agenda. “An inclusive, sustainable and resilient COVID-19 recovery is critical to setting the world on course toward a just transition to a 1.5°C pathway.”
Erdogan says he will meet Mitsotakis in New York
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday he will meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New York, during the session of the UN General Assembly.
“We will realize Mitsotakis’ demand in the US. We’ve got a meeting with him there,” Erdogan said.
Asked about a meeting with Erdogan in New York last weekend, Mitsotakis was far from certain they would have one. “I think our schedules do not match,” he had said.
The two leaders last met in June on the sidelines of a NATO summit.
Greek sources said that the meeting, lasting more than an hour, was held in a “positive climate.” They added that the two leaders agreed “to leave behind the tension of 2020, despite the very important disagreements that exist.”
Earlier, Mitsotakis said that he was open to a positive agenda when he meets with Erdogan.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
