President Nikos Christodoulides will approach Thursday’s meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman with the same political will he has demonstrated since talks collapsed in 2017, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday evening, Christodoulides expressed hope that there would be a positive outcome from his meeting with Erhurman in the direction of resuming talks.

Christodoulides said the first meeting would not be a social one, even though it would be their first, and that his sole purpose was to “immediately begin this great effort” for the resumption of negotiations from where they left off at Crans Montana.

“We are ready and I hope that there will be a response from the other side,” he added.

Christodoulides has “the same constructive and sincere political will that has been consistently recorded throughout the previous period, with the aim of achieving a comprehensive, viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of UN security council resolutions, European Union values and legislation,” Letymbiotis said.

The current movement on the issue, Letymbiotis added, is the result of “political responsibility, perseverance, consistency and credibility” by the Christodoulides government.

It is now up to Turkey, he said, “to demonstrate whether it is truly invested in a strengthened relationship with the Europe” or whether its own intransigence on the Cyprus issue will remain an impasse on further talks regarding EU accession.

Such remarks by the government follow Erhuman’s comments on Monday, which appeared to pour cold water on expectations of a significant breakthrough this Thursday.

In a social media post, Erhurman said that the eight years since the collapse of peace talks have not created a favourable climate for optimism, warning that “it would be overly optimistic to claim that we currently have an atmosphere conducive to a solution.”

He urged political actors to exercise responsibility in their public statements as the process unfolds, adding that he and Christodoulides cannot be expected to resolve long standing issues in a single one-hour encounter.

Instead, he voiced hope for “a sincere meeting that establishes mutual trust” which would in turn hasten the impetus for further discussions.

He underlined that since 2017 there has been minimal contact between the two sides and that negative developments have accumulated in both Cyprus and the wider region. He stressed that both leaders have a duty to develop conditions allowing for meaningful dialogue.

While immediate results are not expected, he called for a collective strategy on a “new political chessboard,” with the goal of improving the future.

Meanwhile, former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci weighed in to suggest prioritisation of initiatives such as easing congestion at crossing points, as well as the reintroduction of the bicommunal programme Imagine, which engaged over 6,000 students and 700 teachers between 2015 and 2020.

Akinci stressed that education is key to building a future of peace on the island.

Meanwhile, Diko president Nikolas Papadopoulos expressed cautious optimism, saying he hoped Erhurman would demonstrate he is willing to take “the necessary steps” to restart negotiations.

He credited Erhurman’s rhetoric as differing from that of his predecessor Ersin Tatar but stressed that “it is up to him to prove” he can move the process forward.

Papadopoulos reiterated Diko’s commitment to a solution based on UN Security Council resolutions.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated that Greece will never accept a two-state solution.

He expressed satisfaction with the decline in tension between Greece and Turkey but remarked that the Cyprus issue remains a key point of contention.

Christodoulides is due to have his first meeting with Erhurman at 9.30am on Thursday at the residence of the UN Secretary General’s special representative near Nicosia airport.