Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis stressed on Tuesday the need for genuine political will towards resuming Cyprus settlement talks, to emerge in the “clearest possible manner”, while describing Wednesday’s meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman as a substantive opportunity in that direction.
Speaking after President Christodoulides’ meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Angela Holguin, at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Letymbiotis said the President had a ‘very good meeting,’ during which he was briefed on Holguín’s contacts since her last visit to Cyprus in December.
According to the Spokesman, President Christodoulides clearly and specifically outlined his approach for a pathway to resuming negotiations, emphasizing the importance of preserving and building on the acquis of the previous negotiating process. This approach, he added, is expected to be presented again on Wednesday during the joint meeting with Erhurman, at which the President will submit a concrete proposal on how talks can resume.
‘If there is real political will, it will be demonstrated at the negotiating table. That is precisely why it is imperative that negotiations resume as soon as possible from the point from which they were interrupted in Crans-Montana, always in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,’ Letymbiotis said.
Referring to the four-point methodology put forward by the Turkish Cypriot leader, which is expected to be discussed at the meeting, Letymbiotis noted that President Christodoulides has repeatedly and clearly set out his position, both publicly and in private meetings with Erhrman, in the presence of Holguin.
‘It has been several months since Erhurman assumed the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community. This is the moment for sincere political will. The objective cannot be anything other than the resumption of negotiations,’ Letymbiotis said, adding that this objective must be reflected clearly in Wednesday’s meeting.
Responding to questions on political equality, Letymbiotis said the issue has already been clearly recorded in the latest agreed joint communiqué, with explicit reference to UN Security Council resolutions.
‘This is therefore an issue that has been discussed and documented in a very specific manner,’ he said, adding that there can be no alternative or selective interpretation of the Security Council resolutions.
‘What we maintain, what we consistently put forward-and not only us, but also the international community and the United Nations themselves-is the agreed framework: a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, as described in the relevant Security Council resolutions,’ he stressed.
Letymbiotis: CBMs cannot replace substantive negotiations
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Letymbiotis also referred to confidence-building measures (CBMs), which are expected to be discussed during Wednesday’s meeting, while making clear that such measures cannot substitute substantive negotiations. He said the Greek Cypriot side has submitted a series of concrete proposals, demonstrating a constructive stance aimed at fostering a positive climate for the resumption of talks.
He recalled that both sides had agreed in December that CBMs cannot replace substantive negotiations. On the specific issue of crossing points, the Spokesman said there has been no change so far from previous discussions, including those held during the last expanded meeting in the presence of the UN Secretary-General.
The Greek Cypriot side, he said, has submitted ‘very specific proposals’ that were not accepted by the Turkish Cypriot side. These included a proposal to open a pedestrian crossing point, intended to help create a positive climate conducive to the resumption of negotiations. ‘We will see how the discussion unfolds tomorrow, and we are fully prepared to discuss all these aspects,’ he added.
Commenting on Holguín’s remarks expressing frustration over the lack of progress on CBMs, without attributing responsibility to either side, Letymbiotis said the Greek Cypriot side has demonstrated a constructive approach, both through the proposals it has submitted and through the President’s overall approach to ideas raised by the other side.
He emphasized that the same test of sincere political will applies both to CBMs and to the resumption of negotiations.
Next meeting in broader format already announced by UN Secretary General
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Asked whether the government is concerned that responsibility for any potential impasse or for the non-convening of the next expanded meeting could be attributed to the Greek Cypriot side, Letymbiotis recalled that it was the UN Secretary-General himself who announced, both last July in New York and during his meeting with the two leaders, that a new expanded meeting would be convened before the end of 2025.
‘We are ready even tomorrow to attend an expanded meeting,’ Letymbiotis said, adding that such a format allows for substantive discussion on the Cyprus issue. He stressed that the government seeks dialogue, exchange of views and the creation of the appropriate climate for the resumption of negotiations.
Finally, he said Holguín provided a general briefing to the President on her recent contacts, including meetings in Brussels, and on efforts being made under the UN Secretary-General’s mandate to create conditions conducive to restarting talks.
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.
In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format that was expected to take place before the end of 2025, is yet to be announced.
María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holguín.