The Office of the President on Thursday criticized the Greek Cypriot leadership for leaking to the press of a possible trilateral meeting between the two leaders and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to be held on September 27 in New York before an official invitation was made.

The president’s office in a written statement said that the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of UNFICYP Elizabeth Spehar had called President Ersin Tatar on the phone to convey that the Secretary-General was considering inviting the two leaders for a meeting in his office and to find out whether he would accept such an invitation.

“The president, as he made public earlier, is open to attending an unofficial meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades should such an invitation be made,” the statement read.

The Office of the President said that the leaking of these consultations by the Greek Cypriot leadership before an official invitation was made was a violation of diplomatic ethics and a political manoeuvre aimed at creating a different picture.

“Should the UN Secretary-General make such an official invitation, the president will attend this meeting in a spirit of good will and a constructive understanding to express the positions tabled by the Turkish Cypriot side in Geneva.