Switzerland, and specifically Geneva, will be at the center of discussions on the Cyprus issue in the coming days, as the informal five-party conference is scheduled to take place on March 17-18. The meeting aims to foster a substantive exchange of views on achieving progress in resolving the Cyprus issue.

As Offsite reports, this is not the first time that the fate of Cyprus has been deliberated in Switzerland. Over the years, negotiations for a resolution have taken place in Geneva and other locations across the country on at least ten occasions.

According to the United Nations’ plan, the conference will commence with a welcoming dinner on March 17 at 7:00 p.m. (8:00 p.m. Cyprus time). UN Secretary-General António Guterres will host the dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel to greet the heads of delegations. The format of the dinner will be “Head of Delegation plus one,” with the negotiator Menelaos Menelaou accompanying the President of the Republic of Cyprus.

On March 18, Guterres is set to hold bilateral meetings starting at 9:00 a.m. (10:00 a.m. Cyprus time) at the Intercontinental Hotel. These meetings will follow a “Head of Delegation plus five” format.

The expanded meeting is scheduled to take place at 12:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. Cyprus time) at the Palais des Nations and is expected to conclude at 3:00 p.m. (4:00 p.m. Cyprus time). This session will also follow a “Head of Delegation plus five” structure.

The Cypriot delegation has already arrived in Geneva for the five-party conference, with the government sending its first official message through Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis.

As Offsite reports, upon arrival in Geneva, Letymbiotis stated: “We arrive in Geneva with our focus on the expanded meeting convened by the UN Secretary-General for the Cyprus issue. Our goal is for this meeting to serve as a step toward resuming negotiations from where they were interrupted in the summer of 2017. Our guiding principles are hope and the vision of a reunited, free, European homeland, with respect for and commitment to international law, the UN Charter, UN Security Council resolutions, and the principles and values of the European Union.”

The President of the Republic will be accompanied by several political figures, including:

• Former President Nicos Anastasiades
• Speaker of the House of Representatives and DISY President Annita Demetriou
• AKEL Secretary General Stefanos Stefanou
• DIKO President Nikolas Papadopoulos
• EDEK President Marinos Sizopoulos
• DIPA President Marios Karoyian
• Representative of the Green Party – Citizens’ Cooperation Kyriakos Tsimillis

Additionally, the Cypriot delegation includes:

• Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos
• Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis
• Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna
• Greek Cypriot Negotiator Menelaos Menelaou
• National Security Advisor Tasos Tzionis
• Director of the President’s Press Office Viktoras Papadopoulos
• Director of the President’s Diplomatic Office Doros Venezi
• Officials Achilleas Emilianides, Levon Arakelian, Vasilis Protopapas, and other state officials

Representing the Legal Service are:

• Attorney General Giorgos Savvidis
• Prosecutor Mary-Ann Stavrinidou

Speaking on Sunday at the annual memorial for Theophilos Georgiades in Aglantzia, President Nikos Christodoulides reaffirmed his commitment to exhausting all available opportunities to create the conditions for restarting negotiations. He expressed hope that the informal expanded meeting will mark a step forward in this initiative.

DigitalTree is covering the conference, with journalist Stelios Stylianou reporting from Geneva.