“A very important period is beginning” on Cyprus issue, Stewart says

Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, on Tuesday referred to “the beginning of a very important period” where there is hope to achieve some progress in the Cyprus problem after he met  the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Ersin Tatar.

“I have just had a very constructive meeting with Ersin Tatar. I explained to him that I urged both sides to take into account the beginning of a very important period where we hope to see some progress on the Cyprus problem,” the UN diplomat said after his meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader.

Following his remarks, Stewart added that: “For many months now there have been elections which have distracted regional and local actors. (After the elections in Greece and Turkey) there will be a new period of relative calm, which is an opportunity. I think this is important because we don’t have many opportunities. And the status quo is not going to stay the same”.

Asked about the role of the EU, the UN diplomat said: “We think the EU is an important partner of ours in Cyprus and it is important that (the EU) plays a constructive role”.