The Greek Cypriot side is seeking a “substantive discussion” when President Nikos Christodoulides meets Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman next week, competent sources said on Monday.

The two leaders are due to meet on August 26.

Sources told the Cyprus News Agency that the aim was to hold a substantive discussion on the issues addressed during the UN Secretary-General’s visit to Cyprus, with particular emphasis on preparations for the next expanded meeting on the Cyprus problem.

Guterres visited the island in late July, during which time he met both leaders and announced a new enlarged meeting would be held if the right preconditions were met.

Meanwhile, the negotiators of the two sides are expected to meet in the coming days to prepare for the leaders’ meeting.

Speaking on CyBC radio, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the meeting between the two leaders would be approached by Christodoulides with a “constructive attitude”, with the government seeking progress on issues including the opening of new crossing points.

Declarations of willingness to reach a Cyprus settlement cannot produce results unless the two sides first agree on the nature of the problem, Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu said last week.

He said he agreed with repeated comments by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman that the Turkish Cypriot side is committed to finding a solution to the Cyprus problem.

But he questioned why decades of negotiations have failed to produce a settlement despite both sides repeatedly stating that they want a solution.