Nicosia: The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cyprus and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Khassim Diagne, is set to brief representatives from countries contributing troops to UNFICYP behind closed doors on Tuesday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Diagne will also provide a briefing to the members of the UN Security Council on January 15, during closed consultations focusing on the situation in Cyprus. Later, on January 29, the Security Council will cast their vote on the renewal of UNFICYP's mandate for another year.
The United Kingdom, acting as the penholder of the relevant resolution and one of the three guarantor powers, along with Greece, which was elected on June 6, 2024, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for 2025-2026, holds a significant position regarding UNFICYP. Greece's interventions played a crucial role last year in drafting the resolution.
Since the collapse of peace talks at Crans-Montana in 2017, the Security Council's central issue has been the lack of substantive progress towards resuming a formal political process. Notably, a meeting between Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on December 11, 2025, facilitated by the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Mara ngela Holgun, reaffirmed their commitment to participate in the next informal meeting in a broader format.
During the upcoming closed consultations, the Security Council is expected to explore ways the new resolution could encourage both sides to build on recent contacts and avoid actions that could undermine the political climate, including activities escalating tensions in the buffer zone. The Council may also invite Holgun to provide her assessment of the conditions for a meeting in an expanded format.
Furthermore, Council members will examine potential operational implications of proposed budgetary and staffing adjustments under the UN80 initiative for the Office of the Special Adviser on Cyprus, alongside the possible impact of the broader UN liquidity crisis on UNFICYP and the Secretary-General's Good Offices in Cyprus.
The Secretariat has indicated that the Office will maintain its core political role through a streamlined structure; however, some members may seek greater clarity on how fiscal and structural constraints could affect political engagement, support for confidence-building measures, and the implementation of UNFICYP's mandate ahead of its renewal.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, following Turkey's invasion and occupation of its northern third. Unsuccessful rounds of UN-led peace talks have been attributed to Turkish intransigence, with the latest negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana ending without resolution. In 2025, the Secretary-General hosted informal meetings on Cyprus in March in Geneva and July in New York, with a subsequent tripartite meeting with Cyprus leaders held at the end of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week.
Mara ngela Holgun, as the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked with engaging the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process in collaboration with Holgun.