Talks for a Cyprus settlement must resume from where they broke off at Crans Montana, was the message UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres conveyed to President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Saturday, at a joint meeting at UN headquarters in New York, with Christodoulides saying after the meeting that Guterres was dedicated to the effort, while Tatar was aggressive and resorted to accusations.

The UN chief said that, although he knew Saturday’s meeting could not have a concrete outcome due to developments in the north in the light of the October 19 elections, he decided to call it anyway because he wanted to send the message to the international community and the people of Cyprus that he was absolutely committed to efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.

Guterres told both Christodoulides and Tatar that he would not stop trying and that the effort was being made to restart stalled negotiations from where they left off at Crans Montana.

The two leaders agreed that after the elections in the north, the UN secretary-general’s envoy Maria Angela Holguin would visit Cyprus, the guarantor powers – Greece, Turkey and the UK – and Brussels, to prepare the enlarged meeting, placed around the end of the year.

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Christodoulides and Guterres had met on Thursday in New York. After the meeting, the president said the third enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, involving Cyprus’ two sides, the UN and the island’s three guarantor powers – Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom – will take place in autumn, most likely November.

“I would like to thank the secretary-general […] particularly for the fact that he knew that due to the forthcoming developments in the occupied areas today’s meeting could not have a substantive outcome, but he decided to call it because he wanted to send a message to the international community and to the people of Cyprus about his absolute commitment to efforts to solve the Cyprus problem,” Christodoulides said.

He added that “it was in this context that he said to me and to Mr Tatar that he would not stop the effort. Our aim is, the secretary-general himself said today, to resume talks from where they left off at Crans Montana”.

“What was agreed today was that, immediately after the election procedure in the occupied areas, his personal envoy would visit Cyprus, the guarantor powers, Brussels, in order to pave the way for the enlarged meeting, which will take place, as the secretary-general told us, before the end of the year, with the aim – I repeat – of resuming substantive talks from where they left off at Crans Montana,” the president said.

Asked how Tatar approached the meeting, Christodoulides said he did not wish to speak on his behalf, however “he had an aggressive tone with several accusations and complaints […] for actions made by the Republic of Cyprus”.

Meanwhile, sources said Guterres assured the leaders that he would not give up. The same sources said this was the first time Guterres said the talks would continue from where they left off at Crans Montana.

Furthermore, they said Tatar accused the Greek Cypriot side of “a series of issues” related to blocking halloumi exports from the north to Jordan and the purchase of weapons from Israel, Cyprus joining the Schengen area, stopping African students from enrolling at universities in the north and arresting and prosecuting usurpers of Greek Cypriot property in the north, according to the Cyprus News Agency.

It was at this point that Christodoulides said he did not wish to become involved in a blame game.

“My response was that I am not here to become engaged in any blame game, I am not here to accuse anyone. I am here to express my absolute political will for the resumption of talks. I reiterated that for us and for the whole people of Cyprus – Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots – there is no alternative other than the solution of the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the agreed framework,” Christodoulides said in his statements to the press.

Christodoulides also said at the meeting that “when the secretary-general amid two wars is undertaking this initiative, it is an indication of the clear intention of the UN”.

“Indeed, in a time when the UN and the UN Charter are being questioned by some people, we have a double responsibility through this effort, through an effort that will be on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions – I consider the secretary general’s reference to the resumption of talks from where they broke off at Crans Montana to be particularly important – to do everything possible to achieve this aim,” he said.

Asked if confidence building measures had been discussed, Christodoulides said they had not.

“There was no substantive discussion. Mr Tatar made some remarks, but the discussion today and the message that was sent to both leaders by the secretary genera was the resumption of substantive talks,” he said.

He added that “confidence building measures were not discussed, nor the state of affairs of what was agreed during the previous two enlarged meetings.”

“The main message was the need to start substantive negotiations and this is the main aim of Mrs Holguin’s mission after the election process in the occupied areas is wrapped up, with the aim of the resumption of substantive talks at the forthcoming enlarged meeting, if everything goes as planned, before the end of the year,” the president said.

Asked if even a small step forward was achieved at the meeting with Guterres, Christodoulides said, “I consider the secretary-general’s reference and the whole discussion to be of particular importance. It was a short discussion – I don’t want to exaggerate – which had to do with the need to resume negotiations, the substance of the Cyprus problem. And I believe the secretary-general’s reference to Crans Montana to be of particular importance.”

Invited to say if talks could resume in the event that Tatar is re-elected, Christodoulides advised patience. “Let us see what emerges and we will act accordingly,” he added.