Nicosia: The Greek Cypriot side aims to create the conditions for an announcement on the resumption of talks from where they left off in Crans-Montana during Wednesday's joint meeting between the two leaders and the UN Secretary-General, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said. Speaking to reporters as he left the Presidential Palace for the UN Good Offices Mission in Nicosia, located at Nicosia airport, where he was due to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, the President said the aim was for announcements to be made towards the resumption of talks.
According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides expressed the goal of establishing conditions conducive to the resumption of talks based on previous discussions in Crans-Montana. He emphasized the gradual progress being made, indicating that the outcome of the meeting should be awaited.
When questioned about potential communication with Turkey as part of the Secretary-General's efforts, President Christodoulides confirmed ongoing communication with Turkey. He mentioned that the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, had been in Turkey, and that Guterres had a telephone conversation on Sunday evening.
Regarding further communication, President Christodoulides stated that he was not informed about Guterres' telephone contacts but emphasized Turkey's involvement in the efforts. He also mentioned the upcoming visit of the European Union's Special Envoy for Cyprus, Raffaele Fitto, who is scheduled to arrive in Cyprus on Thursday evening for a meeting on Friday morning.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following Turkey's invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite numerous UN-led peace talks, resolutions have not been achieved, primarily due to Turkish intransigence. The last round of negotiations, held in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, ended without conclusion.
Following informal meetings in 2025 and a subsequent hiatus, deliberations are underway for a new broader-format meeting as the term of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is engaging with the involved parties, and Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.