Politis

President: Common Goal with UN Secretary-General for Substantial Progress on Cyprus Before Year-End

Published March 18, 2026, 20:17
President: Common Goal with UN Secretary-General for Substantial Progress on Cyprus Before Year-End

The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, described his meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brussels as "substantial and productive." He emphasized that there is a common goal, which concerns the substance of the Cyprus issue, and that both he and Mr. Guterres want to see substantial progress before the end of the Secretary-General's term, i.e., by the end of the year. President Christodoulides was briefed on Mr. Guterres' discussions in Turkey and expressed the view that the European Union can help substantially in resolving the Cyprus issue. According to the President, Mr. Guterres has already met with the Turkish Cypriot leader and that focusing on the substance of the Cyprus issue is the common approach. He referred to a possible informal conference that could lead to results, without specifying a timeline, beyond the end of the Secretary-General's term. President Christodoulides reiterated that the goal is to restart talks with the participation of all stakeholders, i.e., in an expanded format. The President stressed that there will be no public negotiations on the Cyprus issue and that the discussion with Mr. Guterres focused on the substance of the problem and the need to restart talks. The issue of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, was not discussed. Mr. Guterres' meeting with the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, is also considered important. Overall, the meeting appears to have created a positive atmosphere and confirmed the common will for substantial progress on the Cyprus issue before the end of the UN Secretary-General's term. However, many questions remain about how to achieve this progress and the specific proposals that will be put on the table.