Former Disy leader Averof Neofytou said on Wednesday that he will stand for president again if there is no positive movement on the Cyprus problem during talks in New York this weekend.

Speaking on Omega, Neofytou, referring to himself in the third person, that “if, God forbid, the weekend is bleak, a dead end, and nothing moves, Averof will be a candidate.”

He added that should the New York talks produce a positive result instead, everyone, without exception, should stand behind the effort.

His remarks came ahead of President Nikos Christodoulides address the United Nations General Assembly, with his speech focused on efforts to resume Cyprus problem negotiations and the Greek Cypriot side’s stated “political will” to pursue them.

Christodoulides is due to meet UN Secretary General António Guterres on Thursday.

Neofytou used the appearance to criticise both Disy and Akel, the island’s two traditional pro settlement forces, accusing them of setting the Cyprus problem aside because of the political cost involved in pursuing a solution.

He said history would hold Akel responsible for rejecting the American British Canadian plan in 1978 and the Annan Plan in 2004, while accusing Disy of having “buried” the Ghali set of ideas and bearing chief responsibility for the collapse of the Crans-Montana talks in 2017.

Fellow potential candidate Andreas Mavroyiannis also appeared on the programme.

Mavroyiannis said last week that unofficial polls reaching him put him in first place for the next race, though he intends to wait until the end of the year before deciding whether to run.

He described the findings as “food for thought”, saying they pointed to a sense of “daily support” building around his name, and said the decision would follow discussions with associates and supporters of his previous campaign.

He said he remained open to cooperating with all political forces except the far right, and described Neofytou, whom he has debated on television before, as “a formidable opponent”.