Nicosia: Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, announced on Monday his intention to hold two or three more meetings with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman before his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly later this month. The announcement was made during a meeting with the Mayor and members of the Morphou Municipal Council at the Presidential Palace. President Christodoulides emphasized the importance of these meetings in anticipation of his upcoming discussions with the Turkish Cypriot leader.

According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides has scheduled another meeting with Tufan Erhrman on Wednesday. He expressed a desire for additional meetings prior to their New York engagement, highlighting the importance of these discussions in preparing for the UN Assembly. President Christodoulides also assured the Morphou Mayor and Municipal Council members that he would update them on any developments and encouraged them to share their plans to facilitate collaborative progress.

The division of Cyprus has persisted since 1974 following Turkey's invasion and occupation of the northern third of the island. Attempts at UN-led peace talks have repeatedly failed due to Turkish non-cooperation, with the most recent negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ending without resolution. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, approaching the end of his term, announced plans for another meeting in a broader format after sufficient preparation, although no timeline has been provided. Mar­a Angela Holgu­n, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, and Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, acting as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, are actively engaged in facilitating this process.