Leaders and representatives of Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot political parties participating in the bi-communal dialogue under the auspices of the Slovakian Embassy to South Cyprus met on Wednesday at the Ledra Palace Hotel.

In a joint communiqué issued after the meeting, the parties welcomed the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Ms. Maria Angela Holguin to Cyprus and conveyed their best wishes for the fruitful outcome of her mission.

Political parties from both sides of the divide expressed opinions on Wednesday on the topic proposed by the hosting party – the United Cyprus Republican Party (ERKK): “The role of the Transitional Justice in reconciliation in Cyprus”.

Welcoming the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Ms. Maria Angela Holguin to Cyprus, the representatives of the political parties expressed their views, comments, and suggestions on the presented issue, more specifically, they discussed the notion of transitional justice as defined in the UN Secretary-General’s Report “The rule of law and transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict societies”.

The parties pointed out that the report underlined that civil society organizations must all be given a voice in the reconciliation process.

They agreed to emphasize that informed popular consensus for any solution is needed in the reconciliation process in Cyprus and that to this end they decided to discuss the issue further, including the possibility of the creation of a Bicommunal Truth and Reconciliation Committee that would explore ways and working methods needed.

The next meeting of the leaders and representatives of the political parties will be held on Wednesday, February 28 with the Socialist Party of Cyprus (SPC) as hosting party.