Nicosia steps up preparations for Geneva meeting

Nicosia is in the final stages of preparations ahead of the informal five-party summit in Geneva next week where the island’s two community leaders will meet under the UN secretary-general to seek common ground for the way forward on the Cyprus problem.

Guarantors Greece, Turkey and the UK will also take part at the summit that is scheduled to take place between April 27 and 29.

Government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos told the Cyprus News Agency that a meeting lasting around two hours was held on Monday evening  at the Presidential Palace under President Nicos Anastasiades, with the participation of the negotiating team and team of legal experts tasked with assisting in preparation for the informal conference.

“The participants were informed about the work done by the law experts and were given various documents that were prepared and were asked for feedback,” Koushos said.

Koushos said the documents, prepared by the experts, were studies on various legal aspects on which the Greek Cypriot side’s arguments will be based. He added that some of the documents were of political content on “what are we going to do in Geneva, what are we going to pursue, what does political equality and effective participation mean, what does sovereign equality mean, what are our positions.”

“It is the policy that we will follow and the arguments that we will put forward on any issue that arises,” he said. He added that the preparation concerns all scenarios.

Anastasiades is to travel to Athens for a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday. According to Koushos, the goal is to exchange views and coordinate in view of the informal conference.

On Friday, the National Council is set to convene. Koushos said the political leaders will be given documents that have not already been given to them, and will be briefed about Anastasiades’ and the foreign minister’s recent contacts and the messages Nicosia received as regards the summit and the Cyprus problem.

Koushos said that at the National Council there will also be a final setting of the goals to be pursued at the summit.