Christodoulides tells UN talks can resume immediately despite EU presidency and elections

Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides has written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying Cyprus’ EU council presidency and upcoming parliamentary elections do not affect the immediate resumption of substantive negotiations on the Cyprus problem. He also said he is ready to meet Guterres in March to advance the peace process.

Letter to the UN secretary-general

In his letter, Christodoulides outlined a five-point proposal to restart talks, including submitting convergences from previous negotiations, convening the next informal expanded meeting, resuming negotiations, and opening four crossing points.

Christodoulides reiterated the agreed parameters for a settlement, emphasising one sovereignty, one citizenship, and full guarantees of independence and territorial integrity. He said any framework must explicitly rule out partition or secession.

Meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader

The letter follows a one-on-one meeting on Tuesday with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, which Christodoulides described as “open and frank.”

The discussion was held at the UN representative Khassim Diagne’s residence in the buffer zone, without international facilitation, and focused on confidence-building measures and their implementation.

Both leaders agreed to provide guidance to negotiators on the next steps, with a new leaders’ meeting to be scheduled soon for March.

Erhurman described the session as “sincere, and useful,” while stressing that his planned visit to a Greek Cypriot school in Rizokarpaso was independent of the republic’s machinations and warning against media misrepresentation.

Christodoulides said the meeting reaffirmed the agreed basis for a solution as a bizonal bicommunal federation with political equality under UN Security Council resolutions.

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