Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said a renewed United Nations initiative on the Cyprus issue is already in progress, with diplomatic efforts to resume negotiations ongoing since early March.
Contacts with UN and Turkey
Speaking in Nicosia on Monday, Christodoulides said the process began after contacts between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ahead of Christodoulides’ own meeting with Guterres in Brussels. He rejected suggestions that developments would begin in July, saying the effort had already started.
Dual-track approach at UN and EU level
Christodoulides said the government is pursuing a dual-track approach operating at both United Nations and European Union levels. He said preparatory work is being done by the secretary-general and the personal envoy, with ongoing contact aimed at creating conditions for an expanded conference to resume talks.
Expanded conference and meeting plans
He said an expanded conference would involve broader participation in line with previous formats, with the goal of restarting negotiations from where they were interrupted. Christodoulides also said efforts are underway to arrange a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, with dates already exchanged and an official announcement expected within 24 hours.
Recent exchanges and differing views on format
Christodoulides said renewed talks follow contacts and exchanges in recent months, including meetings between the two leaders under UN auspices focused on confidence-building measures and conditions for a return to formal negotiations. Erhurman has expressed reservations about an enlarged meeting format and has advocated direct engagement between the two communities.
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