UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres discussed with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides the way forward on the Cyprus issue. A readout of the SG's meeting with President Christodoulides issued after their meeting on Monday said 'the Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus. They discussed the way forward on the Cyprus issue as well as the situation in the Middle East'. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources told CNA that the UN Secretary-General remains committed to his efforts to organize a joint meeting between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides on the Cyprus issue, in his presence, as emerged from the meeting he had on Monday with President Christodoulides, at the UN headquarters. The diplomatic sources, speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, stated that regarding any developments in setting a date for the meeting, the Secretary-General considers his meeting with Turkish President Erdogan to be significant. On the one hand, the meeting with Erdoga n is important because it acknowledges the reason why it has not yet been possible to hold the meeting, either in the presence of the Secretary-General or his personal envoy María Angela Holguín Cuellar, and on the other hand, because it is once again confirmed that it is Turkey, and not Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, who holds the key. 'The Secretary-General acknowledges our side's intention to resume negotiations, as well as the initiatives taken to create a positive climate, such as the European Council Conclusions, the consent for the Turkish Foreign Minister's participation in an informal FAC, the 14 unilateral measures towards Turkish Cypriots, and the acceptance in principle of all dates proposed to us for holding this meeting,' diplomatic sources noted. The same sources stressed that 'the President of the Republic reiterated once again his readiness to resume negotiations from the point where they were interrupted and his prior acceptance of any date the Secretary-General deems suitable for hol ding the joint meeting". According to the same sources, last night's meeting began with the UN Secretary-General praising the role of the Republic of Cyprus and President Christodoulides in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and congratulating the Republic of Cyprus for the 'Amalthea' initiative and the role it played. The same sources highlight that it is of utmost importance that the Secretary-General acknowledges the role and value of the maritime humanitarian corridor and the Republic of Cyprus in the region. As for the Middle East issue, the diplomatic sources noted that the President of the Republic and the UN Secretary-General discussed developments in the region and the potential for the crisis to escalate, a possibility both believe must be avoided. President Christodoulides informed the Secretary-General about his phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati, as well as his earlier Monday meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah. He also briefed the Secretary-Gener al on the measures the Republic of Cyprus is taking in the unfortunate event that the "ESTIA" plan needs to be activated and noted that all necessary actions have been taken for the implementation of the "ESTIA" plan, involving the organized evacuation of EU citizens and third-country nationals through the Republic of Cyprus and their subsequent transfer to destination countries, the diplomatic sources added. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. Source: Cyprus News Agency