Brussels: Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis held a meeting on Thursday with EU Special Envoy for Cyprus Johannes Hahn, on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting.
According to Cyprus News Agency, discussion focused on the Cyprus issue in view of an informal meeting in a broader format in the near future.
Gerapetritis expressed support for the Special Envoy’s work and for the EU’s active role in supporting UN-led efforts for a just, viable, and mutually acceptable solution in accordance with the relevant UNSC Resolutions and the EU acquis, to the benefit of all Cypriots.
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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format is expected later this year.
Mara Angela Holgun, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holgun.