Ersin Tatar and Nikos Christodoulidis met at the UN New Year's reception

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) organized its traditional New Year's reception at the Ledra Palace Hotel in the buffer zone in Nicosia. The event was attended by the leaders of the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities, Ersin Tatar and Nikos Christodoulidis, along with their spouses - Sibel Tatar and Philippa Karsera.

In addition to the leaders of the two communities, the reception included the Special Representative of the Head of Northern Cyprus, Gunes Onar, the negotiator for the Cyprus-Greek side, Menelaos Menelau, members of the negotiating delegation, co-chairs of technical committees, as well as diplomats, UN officials, and representatives of some governmental and non-governmental organizations from both sides.

In his speech at the reception, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Colin Stewart, expressed pleasure at the meeting of the leaders of both communities, despite disagreements between the two sides.

He also noted that the two leaders had agreed on a candidate for the new envoy on the Cyprus issue and added that the UN Secretary-General would soon announce his decision in an official statement.

Colin Stewart thanked the two leaders who attended the reception and stated that the UN would do everything possible to change the atmosphere in cooperation with both sides and support the new representative.

He also thanked the coordinators and co-chairs of the technical committees on both sides for their commitment to efforts to find points of convergence over the past year.

"Support the two leaders in finding a way out of the current impasse. Now, more than ever, it is time to be active," Colin Stewart appealed to the delegation members.