A very important initiative is currently underway to restart negotiations on the Cyprus issue, Deputy Government Spokesperson, Yiannis Antoniou said, during his address on behalf of the President of the Republic at the Third International Conference of the Alexis Tsipras Institute in Nicosia on Wednesday, entitled “For Peace and Social Justice.”
Antoniou explained that this is “an initiative that we support and invest in, because we know that with time the faits accomplis of the occupation, with which we will never compromise, are being consolidated.”
He also welcomed the guests at the Conference and congratulated the organizers for their initiative, noting that the Cyprus issue has a key presence in the work of Conference.
The Deputy Government Spokesperson reiterated that the President Nikos Christodoulides is leading the effort to create the conditions for the resumption of direct negotiations for a comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the agreed United Nations framework, the negotiating acquis and of course the principles, values and law of the EU.
Regarding the ongoing initiative, he said that it was launched after the government’s efforts and with the international community’s recognition of the government’s political will, while noting that the initiative “is not unrelated to our multi-level foreign policy that upgrades the Republic of Cyprus and makes it a reliable international partner,” as he said.
Antoniou stressed the importance of support from Greece, as well as from EU partners, and expressed satisfaction for “the fact that after our own arduous efforts, the heads of the European Commission and the European Council jointly addressed the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in a historic letter, in which they not only reaffirm the European Union’s interest in the Cyprus issue, but also refer to the substance of the problem,” as he said.
“The joint letter, together with the Conclusions of the European Council of April 2024, which clearly link Euro-Turkish issues with progress on the Cyprus issue, strengthen our diplomatic and political quiver and make it clear in every direction that the Cyprus issue is also a European problem,” Antoniou noted.
“The circumstances are difficult, the challenges are many, but as you know very well, things in the Cyprus issue have never been easy,” he continued and added that “every step is important, because it strengthens our great effort to achieve our one and only goal: to end the occupation and reunify Cyprus, transform the Republic of Cyprus into a modern state, a member of the EU and the United Nations, which will offer all its legitimate residents the right to live and create in conditions of security and prosperity.”
He also referred to the geostrategic location of Cyprus, noting that the country is located in a region of particular geopolitical importance, with many opportunities and challenges. Regarding the recent crisis in the region, Antoniou said that it highlighted the role that the Republic of Cyprus can play.
“With the advantage of its European status, its excellent diplomatic relations with all neighbouring states and, of course, the synergies it has developed with various European and third countries, it always seeks to be part of the solution and never part of the problem,” he noted.
“Our ability to speak directly with all the stakeholders in the region is the comparative advantage that allows the Republic of Cyprus to be a reliable interlocutor and partner,” Antoniou said.
“And in very critical moments, Cyprus has acted and acts as a bridge of peace, understanding and cooperation in the region, something that is demonstrated through the work and results of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union,” he concluded.
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.