Nicosia: The first meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and the new Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhrman, commenced at approximately 9:50 am on Thursday. This significant meeting is taking place at the residence of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Nicosia Buffer Zone.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, is participating in this meeting via videoconference from Lima, Peru. President Christodoulides was the first to arrive at the venue, accompanied by Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaos. Shortly after, Turkish Cypriot leader Erhrman arrived with “under secretary to the president” Mehmet Dana, who is anticipated to be appointed as the new negotiator for the Turkish Cypriot side.
UNSG Special Representative Khassim Diagne welcomed both leaders upon their arrival. Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite numerous UN-led peace talks, a resolution has remained elusive due to ongoing disagreements. The last formal negotiations, held in July 2017 at Crans-Montana in Switzerland, ended without a conclusion.
In 2025, the Secretary-General organized two informal meetings on Cyprus, one in March in Geneva and another in July in New York. A tripartite meeting with Cyprus leaders took place in late September at the end of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week. An informal meeting in a broader format is anticipated later this year.
Mara Angela Holgun, tasked with engaging the parties in these discussions, is joined by former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who has been designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus. Hahn is expected to collaborate closely with Holgun to advance the settlement process.