No Confirmation on New Cyprus Leaders’ Meeting, Diagne Scheduled to Meet T/C Leader

Nicosia: There is no confirmation yet on a new meeting between President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman, a United Nations source told CNA. The source added that UN Secretary-General Special Representative Khassim Diagne, who was received on Friday by President Christodoulides, will meet on Monday morning with the Turkish Cypriot leader.

According to Cyprus News Agency, regarding Mar­a Angela Holgu­n, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus, the source said that there are no plans for her return. It is recalled that during their meeting yesterday, President Christodoulides conveyed to the UN official the Greek Cypriot side's political will for developments that would allow a swift return to substantive negotiations.

Khassim Diagne stated that the United Nations stands ready to facilitate any meeting, anytime. Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told the press yesterday after the meeting, that the Greek Cypriot side has already proposed, through the negotiator, a specific date within April for a meeting between President Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leader.

Letymbiotis further mentioned, "So far there has been no response. We are awaiting one, and once a date is set, announcements will follow." 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 that was expected to take place before the end of 2025 is yet to be announced. Mar­a Angela Holgu­n, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.