The highly anticipated Five-Party Conference on the Cyprus Issue is set to officially begin in Geneva today, March 17, with a welcome dinner at 7:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. Cyprus time).

As Offsite reports, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will host the dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel, welcoming the heads of delegations. The format of the dinner is “Head of Delegation plus one,” with Menelaos Menelaou, the Greek Cypriot negotiator, accompanying the President of Cyprus. On the Turkish Cypriot side, it is possible that Ersin Tatar will be joined by his special representative, Güneş Onar.

Other key attendees include:

• Giorgos Gerapetritis, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Hakan Fidan, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Stephen Doughty, UK Minister for Europe, who visited Cyprus in early March for discussions with both leaders

During the dinner, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides is expected to highlight the initiatives taken by the Greek Cypriot side that led to this expanded informal meeting. His speech will emphasize Cyprus' commitment to sincere dialogue, referencing:

• EU-Turkey relations
• The Greek Cypriot stance on the Pyla agreement, which the Turkish Cypriot side reportedly deviated from
• The eight-point proposal he presented to Ersin Tatar during their meeting on January 20

The four points of the proposal concerning border crossings include:

1. Opening four new crossing points at Pyroi, Kokkina, Mia Milia, and Louroujina

The remaining four points involve:

1. Establishing an Advisory Committee involving civil society representatives to discuss the Cyprus issue
2. Creating a Truth Commission, a proposal initially introduced by Achilleas Demetriades, which Christodoulides reiterated during his joint visit with Tatar to the CMP Anthropological Laboratory in July 2023
3. Forming a Technical Committee on Youth
4. Resuming work in Pyla based on the agreements of October 9, 2023, which the Turkish military later retreated from, demanding only the construction of a Pyla-Arsos road

The Pyla agreement had outlined conditions ensuring:

• The neutral status of the buffer zone
• No military or police presence from the occupying forces
• Unified urban development to facilitate peaceful coexistence between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots

However, implementation stalled due to Turkish military demands, raising tensions over the agreement.

During the conference, President Christodoulides is expected to reaffirm that negotiations should resume from where they left off in 2017, rejecting any proposals outside the agreed framework.

Despite the upcoming discussions, Ersin Tatar continues to insist that a federal solution for Cyprus is "pointless," reinforcing his opposition to a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

Meanwhile, Athens and Nicosia remain in close coordination, with Christodoulides holding a morning phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday. The two leaders agreed to stay in direct contact throughout the conference.

Following this conversation, Christodoulides met with the National Council, seeking input on multiple scenarios ahead of the Five-Party Conference. Another National Council meeting is scheduled for Monday evening.

Tomorrow, March 18, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will hold bilateral meetings starting at 9:00 a.m. (10:00 a.m. Cyprus time) at the Intercontinental Hotel.

The format for these meetings will be “Head of Delegation plus five”, with President Christodoulides expected to be accompanied by:

• Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos
• Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna
• Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis
• Greek Cypriot Negotiator Menelaos Menelaou
• National Security Advisor Tasos Tzionis

The expanded meeting will take place at 12:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. Cyprus time) at Palais des Nations and is scheduled to conclude by 3:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. Cyprus time).

The format for this session will also be “Head of Delegation plus five”, with Christodoulides expected to be accompanied by:

• Menelaos Menelaou (Greek Cypriot Negotiator)
• Marilena Raouna (Deputy Minister for European Affairs)
• Konstantinos Letymbiotis (Government Spokesperson)
• Mary-Ann Stavrinidou (Attorney General of Cyprus)
• Achilleas Emilianides (Legal expert)