Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis expressed hope late on Wednesday that the momentum gained for Cyprus during the term of Antonio Guterres at the helm of the United Nations would “not be lost”.

“The momentum built during Antonio Guterres’ term must not be lost,” he said and supported “more official” discussions on the substance of the Cyprus problem.

Speaking after a meeting with Guterres at UN headquarters in New York, Gerapetritis said UN Security Council resolutions must be respected in order for the island to be reunified.

“We must work on this. The UN Security Council resolutions are irreversible and must be respected by all so that the island can finally be reunified,” Gerapetritis pointed out.

Gerapetritis also sent a clear message to Turkey that Greece would defend its positions in maritime zones and would “not tolerate any illegality”.

“The maritime zone are not a field for auction. They are a field where international law must be imposed,” he said.

UN envoy for Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin will be arriving on the island on Thursday for meetings with President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, before holding a tripartite meeting with both leaders on November 9.

On Tuesday, Christodoulides said both he and Erhurman had agreed to make “no further statements” on matters of substance related to the Cyprus problem ahead of Holguin’s trip.