Christodoulides and Erhürman held nearly two-hour talks under UN auspices

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman held a meeting on Friday in the buffer zone of Nicosia airport under the auspices of the United Nations. The talks lasted nearly two hours and, according to a UN statement, took place in a positive atmosphere and were accompanied by a productive dialogue.

The meeting took place at the residence of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, and was held in a one-on-one format. The parties discussed further steps on the Cyprus issue and reaffirmed their support for the UN Secretary-General's efforts to resume the negotiation process.

Following the talks, the leaders agreed on a number of initiatives. In particular, they plan to create a consultative body with the participation of civil society, prepare a mechanism for holding religious services across the island, and coordinate actions to combat foot-and-mouth disease. In addition, a special subcommittee will be established for products with protected geographical status (PDO and PGI). The parties also agreed to hold a new meeting in the near future.