UN Secretary General’s Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar described the upcoming deliberations on Cyprus as very important.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday after being received by President Nicos Anastasiades, Spehar said that she is not aware of a tripartite meeting between the SG of the UN with President Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Spehar said she was “very pleased to spend some time with Mr. Anastasiades ahead of his upcoming trip” noting she touches base with both leaders at this time of the year before they go to the General Assembly “where both Mr. Anastasiades and Mr Akinci will be having bilateral meetings with the SG”.

Describing her discussion with the President as “very good conversation”, she said they talked about his expectations and she “also discussed some very important upcoming issues such as the report that will be tabled in the SC in the middle of October on the good offices of the SG in Cyprus, the outcome of Ms. Lute ‘s (UNSG`s Special Envoy Jane Holl Lute) consultations that will be part of it as well and how this is a very important period going forward and we know, because what is in that report, what is in the next report in January is of great interest to the council in terms of how they understand the way ahead in the future”.

Asked whether there will be a tripartite meeting of the leaders with the SG, Spehar said she was “not aware of anything of that sort that has been set up” while she also said that Lute “will be reporting to the SG quite soon”.

Spehar said she “did not have any comment” when invited to comment on Turkish President Tayip Erdogan’s statement that he will increase the size of the Turkish army illegally in the Turkish occupied north of Cyprus.

Lute concluded her meetings with all interested parties with a meeting she had last week in Strasbourg with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and will submit a report on her contacts to the Secretary General.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Numerous UN-backed negotiations, aiming at reuniting the island under a federal roof, have failed to yield results. The latest round of talks took place in the summer of 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans Montana.