Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhurman said the election of Nikos Christodoulides as president gives new hope for the resumption of the Cyprus talks.

In a letter sent to the president- elect’s office, Erhurman said he would like to see Christodoulides play a decisive role in finding a solution to the Cyprus problem based on UN Security Council resolutions.

“I am looking forward to Christodoulides’ initiatives on the confidence-building measures and to his efforts to bring the Turkish Cypriot population closer to the EU,” the letter said.

“I also hope that results can be achieved in the short term.”

Christodoulides on Tuesday expressed his readiness to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar whether Unficyp’s chief Colin Stewart would be present or not.

The newly-elected president added he was briefed by Stewart and was told the initial meeting would comprise the three of them – Christodoulides, Stewart and Tatar, followed by a broader meeting with the negotiators present too.

Last week, noting that the March EU summit would also be attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Christodoulides said his team had already sent a message to New York and if some sort of meeting was possible, “it would be a very positive development”.