President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday that his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci was constructive and pending issues are closing, however differences of opinion remain.

Speaking to reporters after returning to the Presidential Palace from his meeting with Akinci, Anastasiades said “it took place in a constructive climate, the negotiators briefed them on the

chapters they have covered so far and the progress achieved but also on the issues that remain open”.

He said they agreed that by the 9th January, when the two leaders will meet in Geneva, they will hold three to four meetings while the negotiators will hold intensive negotiations, meeting up to three times a week.

Asked if they discussed this evening the conference on Cyprus, bearing in mind that Akinci insists that it will be a five-party conference, Anastasiades said the issue was not raised as each side`s view is well known.

“We tried, I tried at least, to avoid such a discussion as it would not be to the benefit of what we are pursuing, that is the maximum convergences on issues that are pending. It is up to the Republic of Cyprus to decide how it will act and which contacts or proposals it will follow”, he added.

Asked when final decisions are expected on the composition of the conference, President Anastasiades said this will be decided before their departure to Geneva.

To a question if progress has been achieved, President Anastasiades said “pending issues are closing, however there are differences of views that will be presented to us for further negotiation and decision making”.

Regarding his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his Foreign Minister and the outcome he anticipates, Anastasiades said: “I expect that we will jointly decide the common line we will follow on the great issue of Security and Guarantees”.

The leaders` meeting was the first after the dinner they attended on December 1st, during which they decided the immediate resumption of the UN-backed peace talks on the reunification of the island, after their two rounds of talks in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, during which they were not able to achieve the necessary further convergences on criteria for territorial adjustment that would have paved the way for the last phase of the talks.

The two leaders decided on December 1st that they will meet in Geneva on the 9th of January 2017, on the 11th of January they will present their respective maps and that from the 12th of January, a Conference on Cyprus will be convened with the added participation of the guarantor powers, while other relevant parties shall be invited as needed.