Nicosia: The meeting between President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, initially set for Wednesday, September 2, has been postponed at the request of the Turkish Cypriot side and is now rescheduled for September 9 at 10:30 am, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis informed CNA on Monday. He also mentioned that Monday's meeting between Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou and Turkish Cypriot leader's representative, Mehmet Dana, was similarly postponed.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Turkish Cypriot side requested the postponement following a shipwreck off the coast of Kyrenia on Sunday, which led to the declaration of a three-day mourning period by the Turkish Cypriot authorities. Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, following Turkey's invasion and occupation of its northern region. Multiple rounds of UN-led peace negotiations have yet to achieve a resolution, primarily due to Turkish intransigence. The most recent negotiations, held in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, ended without conclusion.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, approaching the end of his term, has announced plans to convene another meeting in a broader format after sufficient preparation, though no specific timeline was provided. He has secured consensus from both parties and the guarantor powers. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is working to engage with the parties. Additionally, Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto has taken on the role of the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.