President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday said his “one and only goal” at his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Wednesday is to achieve results.

“I am coming to the meeting tomorrow with my one and only goal being to achieve results, whether they be confidence-building measures or other results which serve the one goal, which is the resolution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the agreed framework and the principles and values of the European Union,” he said.

On the matter of the EU, he said he will also mention at Wednesday’s meeting that there was a “catalytic intervention on the EU’s part” in the sending of a joint letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.

“As I have said many times, the written word remains, which clarifies the framework for the solution of the Cyprus problem. The Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the EU and will continue to be so even after a possible solution to the Cyprus problem,” he said.

He added that the EU “has all the necessary tools to help us if there really is a political will” on the part of Turkey.

He went on to say that a solution to the Cyprus problem “would be the best memorial” to those who fought for Eoka, because “70 years later, we have not fulfilled the obligations we have towards all these heroes who sacrificed their own lives so that we can be free today”.

Asked if Wednesday’s meeting will have a specific agenda, he said both sides of Cyprus have “undertaken some obligations” towards Guterres.

“Let me remind you that the results of Geneva were the discussion to see if some confidence-building measures can be taken forward, the appointment of a personal envoy, which, as I have been informed by the UN, is at the stage of the bureaucratic process,” he said.

He added that for this reason, the identity of the new envoy may be revealed as early as this week, while the “next thing” is the next enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem which is to take place in Geneva in July.

“So, taking all this into account, tomorrow we will certainly discuss possible confidence-building measures in the areas which were agreed upon and over which we made a commitment to [Guterres], but at the same time, the big goal is at the end of July, the next meeting, which we hope … will lead to the resumption of talks,” he said.

Turning his attention to the 70th anniversary of the founding of Eoka, which fought against British rule on the island with the aim of uniting it with Greece, he said the day’s memorial services “are the least we must do”.

“However, the real honour to them will only come about through the liberation of our homeland. I said before that the most important achievement of this fight was the Republic of Cyprus, the existence of the Republic of Cyprus, and we are doing everything possible to strengthen the existence of the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.

He added that his government is doing this “not with words, but with actions”, and that it is working “to strengthen all the factors of our country’s power, both externally and internally”.

On this matter, he said he has engaged in an “extroverted” foreign policy which “receives praise from the international community, while also highlighting the strength of Cyprus’ economy and the “successful handling of challenges at home”.

Christodoulides and Tatar will meet in the buffer zone at 9am on Wednesday.