Nicosia: President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, expressed his readiness to participate in an expanded informal conference on the Cyprus issue even before the end of the year. This announcement was made during his arrival at the Annual General Meeting of the Cyprus Building Contractors Association in Nicosia.
According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides detailed upcoming meetings, including a visit to the workshop of the Committee on Missing Persons on December 11, alongside Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman. The two leaders will also have a joint meeting with Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, followed by attendance at the annual United Nations Christmas event. The President emphasized that these meetings are intended to set the stage for the expanded informal conference, with the goal of resuming talks from the point they ended in Crans-Montana.
President Christodoulides publicly stated his readiness for the meeting and conveyed this to the Turkish Cypriot leader and will do so with Holguin. He expressed his willingness for the informal multilateral conference to occur before the year’s end. The President reiterated the Greek Cypriot side’s readiness and hoped for a positive response from all parties involved.
The President highlighted the necessity of political will to move forward, expressing confidence in the Greek Cypriot side’s preparedness. He shared that internal meetings have been held to ensure full readiness and hoped for a positive response from all parties to achieve a successful meeting outcome.
Regarding the recent meeting between the negotiators, President Christodoulides mentioned that it was part of the preparation for the December 11 meeting. The primary objective remains the resumption of talks from where they left off in Crans-Montana, marking a clear goal for the Greek Cypriot side.
Cyprus has faced division since 1974 after Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite numerous UN-led peace talks, results have been elusive due to Turkish intransigence. The last significant negotiations in Crans-Montana in July 2017 concluded without success. Recent efforts by the Secretary-General in 2025 included informal meetings in Geneva, New York, and a tripartite meeting in September, with plans for a broader informal meeting later this year.
Mara Angela Holgun, as the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is actively engaging with the parties involved. Johannes Hahn, former European Commissioner, is also expected to assist in the settlement process, working in collaboration with Holgun.