United States ambassador John Breslow on Tuesday stressed his country’s support for a solution to the Cyprus problem after he met Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman.

“The United States remains steadfast in its support of a Cypriot-led, United Nations-facilitated solution to the island’s division,” he said, while also describing Tuesday’s meeting as “fruitful”.

Erhurman, meanwhile, described the meeting as “productive”, and confirmed that it was his last engagement of note before he heads to New York to attend the UN general assembly.

Earlier this year, it had been reported that the US government is “positive” towards Erhurman’s four points which he says must be met for negotiations on the Cyprus problem to recommence in earnest.

Veteran journalist Ulas Baris wrote that Erhurman’s office received a telephone call from “one of the highest-ranking representatives of the US state department” in December last year, and that the official said they wished to meet Erhurman.

He also reported that the official had told Erhurman’s office, “we appreciate your four-point methodology” and “we find it positive”.

Those four points foresee that the Greek Cypriot side accept political equality, time-limit negotiations, and preserve all past agreements, and that the UN guarantee that embargoes placed on the Turkish Cypriots be lifted if the Greek Cypriot side leaves the negotiating table again.

Erhurman will meet UN Cyprus problem envoy Maria Angela Holguin on Thursday and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday.