Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Tuesday said that he hopes for serious progress on the Cyprus problem to be achieved before the end of incumbent UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ term in office at the end of this year, but admitted that the conditions for negotiations to restart in earnest have not yet been reached.

“We hope that the entire period until the end of Guterres’ term in office will not be needed for there to be substantial developments on the Cyprus issue, in other words, the resumption of negotiations,” he said following President Nikos Christodoulides’ meeting with Guterres.

He added that Guterres has since March “set as a goal …. to have mobility which will create momentum towards the resumption of substantive negotiations”.

However, he did somewhat temper his expectations for progress to be achieved in the short term, going on to say of the prospect of negotiations recommencing that “you understand that we are not yet at this stage.

“There was a discussion about how we can [bring about a resumption of negotiations] and what the goal is to restart the negotiations … This is, however, the common goal. This is the UN secretary-general’s stated aim,” he said.

Asked whether the conditions may down the line allow for an enlarged meeting to be convened and for negotiations to resume, he said that “the condition is for all parties to demonstrate political will.

“Obviously, the UN secretary-general, in dedicating his own personal time, and the prestige he attaches to such a visit, has indications that there may be a prospect,” he said.

To this end, he stressed that “it is not something common for the UN secretary-general to visit”, and pointed out that no incumbent UN secretary-general has visited the island for over 16 years.

“He certainly would not come simply to say that he has been here. He comes with a very constructive attitude, as have we, through the discussion we had today. Therefore, the conditions are there, we see the mobility. All the diplomatic factors have been activated, including the European Union, in a very concrete way,” he said.

As such, he added, “all these tools, all the incentives which are available to the international community, have been presented”, before going on to say that “beyond that, what is required for that decisive step forward is the political will on the other side”.

He stressed that the Greek Cypriot side has demonstrated a “political commitment” to this aim and “reiterated our readiness … to contribute in every possible way, so that this is transformed into developments”.

“We see the mobility and we want to intensify it, for it to be transferred to the negotiating table. The goal remains the convening of an informal enlarged meeting, which will be the springboard towards the course for the resumption of negotiations,” he said.

On this front, he also stressed that, as Guterres had said after both his meeting with Christodoulides and his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman that progress will, in part, depend, on the island’s guarantor powers.

“This political will must be demonstrated beyond the Cypriots, and among the guarantor powers. It is clear that we must all align ourselves with international legitimacy. I am referring specifically to Turkey,” he said.

He added that this “international legitimacy” constitutes “the framework established by the UN security council resolutions, with a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality”.

“Of course, in any case, what will be key to this process is Turkey’s real intention and will to align itself with international legitimacy again,” he said.

He then stressed that “we are fully aware of the challenges posed by Turkey’s stance and intransigence in recent years”.

“We are at the stage where all parties, except Turkey, agree on the intended goal, and where we have one party, the occupying Turkey, which ignores and despises international law and international legitimacy,” he said.

To this end, he added that “Turkey must first return to the framework of international legitimacy, so that we can discuss the substance of the goal we have set”.

Later returning to the character of the solution the Greek Cypriot side desires, he said that it must “ensure sovereignty, one international personality, one citizenship”, and “a solution fully compatible with the principles, values, law, and acquis communautaire of the European Union”.

This, he said, is because the post-solution Cyprus “will remain a full member state” of the EU. A solution, therefore, must “ensure the four basic freedoms of the EU” – the freedom of movement of people, goods, services, and capital.

He added that “there is no possibility of any deviation from these parameters, either in name or in the substance of the discussion”.