Nicosia: President Nikos Christodoulides has welcomed a statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on his determination for the resumption of Cyprus reunification talks and expressed the hope that this will be achieved. The President was addressing his Ministers at the beginning of a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning at the Presidential Palace. “This is the last meeting of the Cabinet before I travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly,” he stated.
According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides highlighted the importance of the upcoming General Assembly. Apart from bilateral meetings and his speech before the General Assembly plenary, he emphasized the significance of the joint meeting scheduled with the Secretary General and the Turkish Cypriot leader. He referred to Guterres’ statement on Tuesday, noting Guterres’ political will to work towards resuming talks. “From the outset, we have been working to create the conditions for the resumption of talks,” the President stated.
He acknowledged that the desired goal has not yet been reached but pointed out the end of a seven-year impasse, as noted by the Secretary General. President Christodoulides remarked on the ongoing significant initiative to reactivate international players, expressing hope for the resumption of substantive talks and a Cyprus solution based on the agreed framework. “I therefore welcome the Secretary General’s statement,” he concluded.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. A second informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format was held in New York on July 16-17, 2025, following a March meeting in Geneva. The UN Secretary General announced plans to meet jointly with Cyprus leaders during the General Assembly high-level week in September.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, continues her contacts on the island, preparing for the trilateral meeting the Secretary General will have with community leaders in New York later this month.