Nicosia has given its consent to the UN Secretary General for the appointment of a certain personality as his envoy on the Cyprus issue, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Wednesday.

In statements during a media briefing, he announced that the Republic of Cyprus has given its consent as regards the UN Secretary General’s proposal for the appointment of an envoy on the Cyprus problem.

“We expect a positive response from the Turkish Cypriot side as well,” he added.

Invited to confirm the name of the envoy as it was reported by the media, he said that they could not confirm anything yet and that they are waiting for the UN Secretary General’s announcement.

Sources told CNA earlier that the UN Secretary – General, Antonio Guterres, has proposed that former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Maria Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, is appointed as his envoy on the Cyprus issue.

In his statements during a media briefing, Letymbiotis said that the Republic of Cyprus has given its consent as regards the UN Secretary General’s proposal for the appointment of an envoy on the Cyprus problem, who will explore the prospects of resuming the negotiations on the Cyprus issue, within the agreed framework and in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

“We hope that there will be a positive response to the appointment of the personality from the other side as soon as possible,” he added.

He reiterated the sincere political will of the government and the readiness to resume the negotiations from the point where they have been interrupted, with the aim of achieving a sustainable and final settlement of the Cyprus issue.

Our will for a solution on the basis of a bi-zonal bi-communal federation with political equality remains strong, he stressed.

Letymbiotis noted that within this framework and in view of the Turkish President’s visit to Athens on Thursday for a meeting of the High Level Cooperation Council Greece-Turkey “we note that the improvement of the Greco-Turkish relations is something we deem as a positive development, linked with the Cyprus issue, since this improvement can have a positive impact on the Cyprus problem as well.”

Athens and Nicosia coordinate closely, so as to exhaust every possibility of significant progress on the Cyprus issue, he added.

Invited to confirm the name of the envoy as it was reported by the media, he said that they could not confirm anything yet and that they are waiting for the UN Secretary General’s announcement.

Asked for how long the envoy will be staying in Cyprus, he said that what is important is the appointment of the envoy as soon as possible so that they can start making contacts to explore the prospects of resuming negotiations. “We hope that there will be a sincere political will and that this period will not be long in the sense that negotiations can resume as soon as possible,” he said.

Asked whether the Cyprus issue will be on the agenda during the Greek Prime Minister’s discussions with the Turkish President, the Spokesman said that “the Cyprus issue is always very high on the agenda of the Greek government”. He added that the Cypriot President is in constant contact with the Greek Prime Minister and that there will also have a phone communication on Thursday after the end of the meeting in Athens.

Responding to a journalist’s remark that the Turkish occupation regime does not seem to be retreating from the buffer zone in the areas of Pyla and Ayios Dometios, the Spokesman said that Cyprus expects the peacekeeping force to implement the terms of its mandate and ensure the status of the buffer zone restoring the status quo as it was before.

Regarding works of the occupation forces in the area of Deryneia he said that according to information of the government, any works being carried out are not within the buffer zone and they are already making the necessary representations.

Asked if the President has considered the request by the political parties DISY and AKEL to convene the National Council, he said that the President is in contact with the political parties every day, and that they can be informed by the President if they wish so.

He noted that the President will not be convening the National Council for now.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.