Outgoing UN envoy in Cyprus Colin Stewart on Tuesday said both leaders remain committed to fresh talks in New York aimed at breaking the island’s long stalemate.

Speaking after meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in the north, Stewart confirmed that both Tatar and President Nikos Christodoulides are eager to attend a planned 5+1 meeting in New York in the coming weeks.

The term 5+1 refers to negotiations involving the two Cypriot communities, the three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.

Stewart, whose term on the island ends in August, will travel to New York next week to brief the UN security council for the final time as part of the regular six-monthly consultations on Cyprus.

He will present two key reports from the UN secretary-general, one on the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) and another on the secretary-general’s good offices mission, which deals with efforts to reunify the divided island.

“I’m very pleased to see that both leaders are committed to the 5+1 meeting expected to take place in New York in the coming weeks, and both want to see tangible results and progress,” Stewart said.

“So I think we’re on a good path.”

The UN diplomat revealed he held a “very good” meeting with Tatar, while that he met Christodoulides last week to discuss the same issues ahead of the New York trip.

Despite the positive signals, no firm date has yet been announced for the New York gathering although it is expected to be towards the end of the month. Christodoulides on Tuesday said he is waiting for official United Nations announcements.

He described ongoing meetings as significant, particularly in light of the European Union’s recent involvement with the appointment of Johannes Hahn as EU envoy.

“Everyone is working, I hope everyone, because from some statements it appears not everyone, so there will be positive results towards resuming the talks,” he said.

But the talks face major challenges given deep differences between the two sides over the future shape of a settlement.

The Greek Cypriot side favours reunification under a bizonal, bicommunal federation, while the Turkish Cypriot leadership, backed by Turkey, has increasingly called for recognition of a separate Turkish Cypriot state.

Speaking after his meeting with Stewart, Tatar reiterated the Turkish Cypriot position on “sovereign equality” and “equal international status” as conditions for the start of formal negotiations.

He said the date of the New York meeting had been set for July 17 and 18.

Despite a positive attitude towards the meeting, Tatar expressed “disappointment” at the lack of progress so far in Holguin’s efforts to find common ground, revealing he had sent a letter to UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres to express this disappointment.

Nonetheless, Tatar claimed that during his four and a half years as leader, “diplomatic gains” have been achieved, including what he described as a better international understanding of the two-state solution.

Stewart plans to return to Cyprus after his New York meetings for farewells.

“As you know, this will be my last briefing to the security council, and I will come back to say my goodbyes before retiring from the UN and leaving the island on August 7,” he said.