Nicosia: Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis reiterated on Sunday the steady support of the Republic of Cyprus towards Ukraine in a written statement, noting that the President of the Republic will participate on Sunday afternoon, in the teleconference of the “Coalition of the Willing” at the level of heads of state, governments, and leaders of international organisations.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Letymbiotis noted that the Republic of Cyprus welcomes the mediation efforts of the United States towards achieving sustainable peace, in accordance with international law and the will of Ukraine. As he stated, “the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, will participate today, in the afternoon, in the teleconference of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ at the level of heads of state, governments, and leaders of international organisations, co-organized by French President, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Mr. Friedrich Merz”.
He noted that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as other European leaders, are expected to participate in the teleconference. The subject of the teleconference will be an update on the meeting that took place between the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, on August 15, as well as an exchange of views on the next steps, including tomorrow’s meeting between the Presidents of the USA and Ukraine.
The position of the Republic of Cyprus, he noted, “remains the steady support for Ukraine.” Letymbiotis emphasised that “Cyprus has been experiencing the occupation of a large part of its territory for 51 years after the illegal Turkish invasion and, in this context, stands in favour of respecting the United Nations Charter, the independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of all states.” At the same time, he stressed, “the Republic of Cyprus welcomes the mediation efforts of the United States towards achieving sustainable peace, in accordance with international law and the will of Ukraine”.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. A second informal meeting on Cyprus in broader format was held in New York, on July 16-17, 2025. Another meeting is anticipated later this year, to follow up on initiatives, agreed by the parties, which the UN Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres said they demonstrate a commitment to continuing a dialogue on the way forward. Guterres also announced that he would meet jointly with Cyprus leaders during the General Assembly high-level week, in September.
The two sides in Cyprus continue discussions on outstanding issues, including the opening of crossing points and a solar energy installation in the buffer zone. They also agreed to cooperate on a number of issues, including the exchange of cultural artifacts, while Maria Angela Holgun, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, will continue her efforts. The European Commission designated Johannes Hahn, a former European Commissioner, as Special Envoy for Cyprus to contribute to the settlement process, in close cooperation with Holgun.