President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are meeting this evening in Geneva, for a presentation on behalf of the negotiators of their discussions on governance, followed by talks on the chapter of territory and an exchange of maps, Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides has said.

Speaking before the meeting began late this afternoon, Christodoulides noted that the maps would be examined by experts and would then be kept by the United Nations, under the auspices of which the talks are being held.

Replying to questions, the Spokesman said that “the way in which the constitution will be amended has been agreed”, noting that this was one of the pending issues in the governance chapter, which was discussed on Tuesday and progress was made on Wednesday. He noted that “convergences” have been achieved.

Asked if the rotating presidency issue had been discussed, Christodoulides said it had been discussed on Monday, there was a disagreement and it remains there, noting that no further discussions took place on this issue.

Regarding the possibility of submitting alternative maps, Christodoulides said this was not provided for by the process agreed on.

Asked about Thursday`s conference on Cyprus, the Spokesman said it would focus on one issue only, the issue of security and guarantees, noting that there was no other topic on the agenda and no scheduled meeting for the discussion of other aspects of the Cyprus problem.

Furthermore, Christodoulides called on the press to be exceptionally wary of those who wish to exploit the situation in Geneva to create obstacles in the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.

He referred to information leaking to the press after the leaders of the political parties were briefed on developments in discussions on the chapter of territory.

Christodoulides said this was probably the first time since 1976 that the talks have been so close to the presentation of maps, and some people are trying to cause problems.

He also said that the leaders of the two communities, namely President Anastasiades and Akinci, discussed governance and property issues, and that there was some progress on certain governance aspects, such as amendments to the constitution, while on other issues clear guidelines have been given to the experts who will work all afternoon to achieve greater progress.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. President Anastasiades and Akinci have been engaged in UN-led talks since May 2015 with a view to reunify the island under a federal roof. On December 1st, 2016, they decided to continue their negotiations from January 9th to 11th in Geneva and that on January 12th an international Conference on Cyprus will begin.