Maria Angela Olgin, the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus, highlighted the dedication of both leaders to achieve progress ahead of the upcoming informal five-party meeting in July. This was mentioned following her discussions with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
Ms. Olgin expressed, “We talked about the July meeting and the outcomes we hope to achieve. It’s the leaders’ commitment, rather than the UN’s, that will drive this effort, and we are putting in significant work.”
She indicated that she would meet both negotiators shortly after but also emphasized the productive discussions she had earlier in the week with various technical committees, including the Heritage, Culture, Environment, and newly established Youth Committees. Regarding the Youth Committee, she noted, “I had a very fruitful meeting with them. You can see the dreams and hopes of young people, which is essential for envisioning our future.” She added that she met with representatives from the Chamber of Commerce from both sides, calling it an important engagement.
Ms. Olgin mentioned her plans to meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara on Monday before heading to Athens to meet Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis. She also expressed her intention to visit London and Brussels.
“I hope we can achieve some progress in July and continue building trust, which is crucial for moving forward,” she stated.
When asked by a reporter about her optimism, Ms. Olgin replied, “I am always optimistic, and I believe this is a prime opportunity to ease the lives of those here.”
This meeting, the second with President Christodoulides since Ms. Olgin’s arrival in Cyprus last week, lasted approximately an hour. She also held two meetings with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.
Following her meeting with President Christodoulides, Ms. Olgin convened with the negotiators, Menelaos Menelaus and Gouness Onar.
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