Nicosia: President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides will preside on Monday over the National Council, the top advisory body to the President on the handling of the Cyprus issue.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the meeting of the National Council will begin at 10:30 in the morning. President Christodoulides indicated that preparatory work on the Cyprus issue will continue throughout August, noting that there is significant momentum in efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue for the first time in many years.
On Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during his inaugural visit to Cyprus, announced that another 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus problem would be convened. This meeting will focus on preparations regarding confidence building, methodology, and substance, considering the convergences already achieved.
Meanwhile, the European Union's Special Representative for Cyprus and Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Raffaele Fitto, is expected to arrive in Cyprus on Thursday. He is scheduled to meet with President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman on Friday.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following the invasion by Turkish troops that led to the occupation of 37% of its territory. Efforts at UN-led peace talks have so far been unsuccessful, primarily due to Turkish intransigence. The last major attempt at negotiations, held in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, ended without resolution.
Following informal meetings in 2025 and a subsequent hiatus, renewed deliberations are underway for a broader meeting as the term of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres approaches its end. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is actively engaging with the parties, while Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto serves as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.