Nicosia: The trilateral meeting between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides, and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman began shortly after 10 am (local time) in the United Nations Protected Area at Nicosia airport. The UN Secretary-General was the first to arrive at the venue, at around 9.30 am, accompanied by his Personal Envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Turkish Cypriot leader arrived next, followed by President Christodoulides. They were accompanied by the aides of the two sides, Mehmet Dana and Menelaos Menelaou, respectively. The two leaders were welcomed on arrival by the UN Secretary-General. In addition to the Secretary-General and the two leaders, the meeting is attended by the representatives of the two sides, DiCarlo, Holguin, and an adviser to the UN Secretary-General.
The meeting is considered crucial for the next steps in the Cyprus peace process. Guterres is expected to hold a press conference at around 11.45 am, immediately after the meeting. 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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, ended inconclusively.
After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.