Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis reiterated on Wednesday that a solution to the Cyprus problem was an “absolute priority” for his country.

In a meeting with UN under-secretary-general for peacebuilding Rosemary DiCarlo in Athens, Gerapetritis said Greece insisted on a bizonal, bicommunal federation, in line with UN Security Council resolutions.

DiCarlo said the UN chief remained dedicated to finding a solution and was striving for tangible results.

She also thanked Athens for its constructive dialogue within the UN Security Council and briefed Gerapetritis on preparations in view of the upcoming enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem.

Greek diplomatic sources said the meeting was held a few days after the UN renewed the mandate for the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp), for which Greece had made strenuous efforts, as an elected member of the Security Council.

An enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, involving both the island’s communities as well as all three guarantor powers and the United Nations, will go ahead in the Swiss city of Geneva on March 17 and 18, Greek diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.

Athens and Nicosia will be attending the meeting with the clear position that they will be dismissing any two-state proposal, the sources said.

DiCarlo has been in Cyprus to meet with both President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.

She met Christodoulides on Monday morning and said after the meeting that discussions had focused on preparations “for the meeting in Geneva next month”.

She added that she had assured Christodoulides of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ “strong commitment … to work with the parties on this issue so that we can move forward”.

On Monday, DiCarlo also met with Tatar, who reaffirmed his stance on the prospect of negotiations, saying that the “sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people must be accepted” for there to be “constructive steps to be taken towards a solution”.

The enlarged meeting in March will see both Cyprus’ sides as well as representatives of the island’s three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and the UN, convene to discuss the Cyprus problem.