Cyprus’ political parties on Tuesday night reacted to the results of the two-day enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, with many choosing to characterise those results as a “positive step”.

Disy leader and House president Annita Demetriou described the meeting as a “positive step towards the possibility of resuming substantive negotiations with the appointment of an envoy, the reconvening of the next conference, and the initiation of a conclusion for confidence-building measures and recommendations”.

She added that “we need to take into account the circumstances, Turkey’s turn towards the European Union, especially on defence and security issues, as well as issues which remain open and concern relations between Turkey and the EU”.

On this matter, she highlighted the letter written to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on the Cyprus problem, which she said was “helpful and certainly not accidental”.

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Particularly important, she said, was “the reference to the agreed framework as the only viable framework for a solution in accordance with the European acquis Communautaire and European principles and values – that is a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality”.

“The only thing that is certain is that there is a conjuncture of events that we need to take into account, and that planning and preparation are required for the next meeting, with the aim of putting the solution train back on the rails,” she added.

Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou called the meeting’s result a “positive development” and called for proper preparation ahead of the next meeting in July.

“It is positive that the process has been kept alive. The goal continues to be the resumption of negotiations to achieve a comprehensive solution … We should build on the position that we seek to continue negotiations from where they were interrupted, preserving all convergences,” he added.

Diko also described the meeting as a “positive step”, adding that it came about “despite Ankara’s delaying tactics”.

“This is an important first result of the new mobility on the Cyprus problem, which has been set in motion by President Nikos Christodoulides’ initiatives, and which Diko has supported from the very beginning,” the party added.

It also drew attention to the fact that the UN at no point during the meeting declared that there was “no common ground”, saying the Turkish side had “sought” such a declaration as it would “refer to other forms of a solution beyond UN resolutions and the agreed basis”.

“It is clear that there is still a long way to go for the next steps in relation to the negotiations. Diko insists that every effort must remain strictly within the framework of the UN resolutions,” it added.

Dipa leader Marios Garoyian also said the meeting’s result was a “positive step”, adding, “for the first time since 2017, the Cyprus problem is once again entering a path of hopeful developments”.

He added that Christodoulides “should be credited with the initiatives, actions, and correct handling” of matters both before and during the meeting.

“We believe that these elements played a decisive role in preventing a definitive and premature ‘shipwreck’ in [Guterres’] efforts, as well as avoiding developments which would be dangerous for our side, which could have changed the subsequent course of the Cyprus problem in a very detrimental way,” he said.

Meanwhile, Volt said the meeting’s results are “steps in the right direction”, and said that while it acknowledged that previous efforts have not resolved the Cyprus problem, “we expect the situation to be different this time”.

“At a time when the EU is at a critical crossroads and Turkey declares that it is pursuing its European path, it is time to set the solution of the Cyprus problem as an immediate priority. Cyprus must seize this historic moment to claim its reunification as a federal member state of the EU, with political equality,” it added.

Earlier, Turkish Cypriot opposition party the CTP’s foreign affairs spokesman Fikri Toros had told the Cyprus Mail that the meeting’s results were “the best I had hoped for”.

“The fact that a roadmap, the appointment of a personal envoy, and a number of confidence-building measures have been agreed upon is progress. It is also a clear sign that all parties needed the continuation,” he said.

However, Mine Atli, who was in Geneva representing fellow Turkish Cypriot opposition party the TDP, was less than impressed.

“We are asked to rejoice over initiatives which could have been discussed in Cyprus … These are technical committee issues,” she told the Cyprus Mail.