Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis will meet with the UN Under–Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, who is on an official visit in Athens on Thursday, February 13, as part of her diplomatic engagements regarding the Cyprus issue. The meeting takes place head of the Geneva Five-Party Conference, which, is set for March 17-18.
In late January Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides had announced a five-party meeting for the coming March to focus on the Cyprus issue, with the probable date not yet having been finalized.
However, the meeting’s dates of the 17 and 18 of next month are now considered confirmed.
Christodoulides had also pledged to everything in his power to work towards a viable solution regarding the Cyprus issue.
“I will do everything possible to fully exploit an upcoming expanded meeting under the auspices of the UN Secretary General, which is expected to take place next March,” Christodoulides said.
Meanwhile, a diplomatic issue has arisen concerning DiCarlo’s visit to Ankara, where she is scheduled to meet only with Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister, whereas in Greece she will be meeting with the country’s foreign minister.
While some interpreted this as a downgrade of Turkey’s engagement in the process, diplomatic sources argue otherwise, stating that the country’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be present at the Five-Party Conference, where his participation truly matters.
Diplomatic sources furthermore confirm that while the exact date for the High-Level Cooperation Council with Turkey also remains unfinalized, the meeting is set to take place as planned, with its agenda expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
Despite Turkey fluctuating between more aggressive and more moderate rhetoric, this does not appear to affect the core of diplomatic engagements with Greece, with the latter side noting that bilateral relations remain stable, citing the minimal airspace violations in recent years and the absence of migration flows from Turkey towards Greece in recent times.
On the other hand, unresolved issues such as the continental shelf dispute and the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which have remained contentious for 50 years, limit optimism about the outcome of Greek-Turkish dialogue.
At present, territorial delimitation discussions appear to be stalled, as Athens and Ankara fail to find common ground on the scope of negotiations. Greece has also made it clear that it will not discuss issues related to national sovereignty.
Additionally, maritime spatial planning and the establishment of marine parks remain contentious issues in Greek-Turkish discussions, with Ankara voicing strong opposition.
Regarding the Cyprus issue and the upcoming Five-Party Conference, Greek Foreign Ministry sources emphasize that Greece rules out any discussion on a two-state solution or sovereign equality.
