Negotiations on the Cyprus problem seem to have entered a period that could be described as a lesson in how to maintain the status quo without having a falling out by simply avoiding the real issues.

After their meeting on Friday, the leaders came up with several extremely low-level confidence building measures, things they could have directed the bicommunal technical committees to handle from behind their respective desks without a song and dance about their own “productive” interaction.

It seems nothing has changed on any fundamentals that would lead to another expanded UN conference, despite a new Turkish Cypriot leader being elected almost seven months ago. It’s as if they were talking for the sake of it and discussing side topics more suited to a meeting between two mayors than the leaders of a divided island seeking a solution.

In Cyprus, of course, leaders talking is never a bad thing but talking doesn’t always mean progress however it might be presented.

One of the main “productive” things the leaders came up with was setting up a six-month plan for respective religious pilgrimages following two unfortunate incidents, one on each side, where visits were cancelled at the last minute, on “administrative grounds”.

There is no proof either side was being belligerent and there is no proof they weren’t. Such is the nature of the Cyprob. What we can be sure of is that both sides are guaranteed to engage in the blame game when these things happen.

Religious visits were first agreed in 1997 between Glafcos Clerides and Rauf Denktash. Since then, the process has mostly been successful. It was enhanced in 2009 with the setting up of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process under the auspices of the Swedish embassy, bringing together religious leaders from Cyprus’ five main faiths to promote dialogue and facilitate pilgrimages.

It’s sad to see that we’re back where we were 30 years ago – the two leaders discussing pilgrimages. Progress would have been agreeing that this most basic freedom would from now on be a given – not a six-month plan.

Instead of cancelling religious visits, it’s time to get down to business and stop the public statements on an expanded conference until there is actual progress. The UN considers the opening of new crossings to be necessary for real momentum towards a new conference. Why not pick up that discussion from where it left off with the previous Turkish Cypriot leader? That would be progress.

Next year it will be ten years since the failure at Crans-Montana when Cyprus was one dinner away from a settlement following substantive discussions on security and guarantees.

Now we’re back to talking about something that was agreed 30 years ago. It’s as if decades of confidence building initiatives have failed to produce any confidence. Who would have guessed? A cynic might say it’s almost as if steps backwards are now being presented as great leaps forward.