Cyprus is “awaiting further actions from the United Nations” with regard to the planned enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem in the early part of next year, deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said on Sunday.

Speaking at an event held to mark the naming of a primary school after a child who was sent to Greece as an unaccompanied minor after Turkey invaded the island in 1974, he said the Greek Cypriot side supports the efforts being made to this end by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and “is invested in the initiatives he is undertaking”.

“Moreover, it is after our own actions that we are seeing movement on the Cyprus problem. The UN, Cyprus’ partners in the institutions of the European Union, all the key actors, are convinced of our side’s intentions, and of our sincere effort to put the Cyprus problem back on track for negotiations,” he said.

With this in mind, he said what is required is for “the Republic of Cyprus to be transformed into a state which will offer all its legal citizens the opportunity to live in conditions of security and prosperity”.

“Despite the difficulties and the obstacles, we remain committed to this great effort to see our homeland without an occupying army, free and united. We are working methodically, together with the Republic of Cyprus’ partners, with a deep conviction that the wall of occupation is not impenetrable,” he added.

He then said, “we will do everything humanly possible so that the sun of justice will finally rise over our homeland”.

Speaking in more detail, he said President Nikos Christodoulides has expressed to Guterres his readiness to implement what was agreed at the informal dinner they attended with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in October, with the hope that meetings on the matter of new crossing points would be held in due course.

One potential stumbling block in the planning of an enlarged meeting may be the question of whether or not the United Kingdom will be present.

The country’s new High Commissioner in Nicosia Michael Tatham said last week that the UK “looks forward to participating” in the meeting, but the Turkish Cypriot side seems currently to be against the idea of British involvement.

Tatar went on the record before the informal dinner in October as having said that based on the lack of common ground found between Cyprus’ two sides, “an environment could be created for a 4+1 informal consultation” – thus excluding the UK from such a meeting.

However, Christodoulides’ support for British involvement in the talks extended to a visit to London last month.

There, he held a meeting with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at his official residence and said that he and Starmer are “on the same page” regarding the Cyprus problem.

He reflected on that meeting when receiving Tatham’s credentials last week, describing it as “positive and constructive”.