The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, expressed his strong disappointment to the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín, regarding a meeting she held with Turkey’s “ambassador” in the occupied territories, Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, said on Tuesday, in response to questions by journalists, following a meeting between President Christodoulides and Holguín at the Presidential Palace, at the latter’s request.
According to the Government Spokesperson, this brief encounter -the second between the President and Holguín since their meeting last Friday- revisited issues discussed on October 30th. Additionally, the discussion covered clarifications requested following a meeting Holguín held with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman. Letymbiotis expressed optimism regarding the potential for progress, particularly in the context of the joint meeting of Holguin and the two leaders scheduled for November 9, 2026, and reiterated that the Greek Cypriot side approaches every meeting with a consistently constructive attitude.
Regarding the meeting between Holguín and Turkey’s “ambassador” in the occupied territories of the island, Letymbiotis pointed out that this development “is in conflict with United Nations Security Council Resolution 550; UN officials and representatives, above all others, should act in accordance with Security Council resolutions.”
He went on to say that “the explanation provided is that the meeting was requested by the Turkish side in order to convey a message to Holguín and that was the reason for the meeting,” while emphasising that “in any case, we consider this an unacceptable action and an unfortunate moment.” When asked about the content of the message conveyed to Holguín by the Turkish side-which, according to sources, originated from Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Mehmet Kemal Bozay-and whether this message was in the right direction, Letymbiotis noted that “every message is in the right direction; every message is evaluated, especially during a period when efforts are being intensified even further.”
He added that the message “was such that it facilitated the continuation of Ms. Holguín’s contacts-including the meetings held today and scheduled for tomorrow-and, of course, paved the way toward the joint meeting on November 9th.” He pointed out, however, that “in any case, genuine will and true intent are assessed through the reaching of agreements.”
Nicosia looks forward to progress following joint meeting on November 9th
Letymbiotis pointed out that the purpose of Holguín’s meeting today with the President of the Republic was to “brief him on what was discussed during her meeting yesterday with the Turkish Cypriot leader, in light of the joint meeting scheduled for November 9th.” He added that ‘in this context, the issues raised during President Christodoulides’ first meeting with Ms. Holguín were naturally discussed,’ and that ‘we hope for a positive response from the other side, which could lead to progress across all three pillars established by the UN Secretary-General-as well as the three pillars for which President Christodoulides has submitted proposals.’
When asked whether the discussions during this brief meeting suggest the possibility of an agreement on some issues put forward by the President, the Government Spokesperson said that ‘progress and an agreement are possible on many of these points, provided that the necessary political will is also forthcoming from the other side.’ He further noted that ‘progress can be made on a number of the issues that were raised’ -following Holguín’s meeting tomorrow with Erhrman, and, even more significantly, following the joint meeting. ‘We look forward to Ms. Holguín’s meeting tomorrow, and, even more so, to the joint meeting,’ he said. “The only thing I will reiterate is that we will approach every meeting with the same constructive attitude. Indeed, this was one of the reasons why, during his first meeting with Ms. Holguín on Friday, President Christodoulides proposed-as part of his own approach-that we should hold a joint meeting,” Letymbiotis subsequently stated.
When asked about the nature of the questions the President of the Republic was asked to address, Letymbiotis explained that “naturally, the other side has raised certain points -seeking clarifications regarding issues we had previously put forward- in order for us to achieve the progress we desire. It is precisely for this reason that we believed, and continue to believe, that a joint meeting would be even more helpful.”
He emphasised that a joint meeting “would provide an opportunity for an in-depth discussion across all three pillars, precisely so that we can respond as soon as possible to the points that both the UN Secretary-General’s office and we ourselves have set as a goal.”
When asked whether the other side has presented a counter-proposal to the points raised by the President of the Republic, the Government Spokesperson replied that “there are ideas from the other side, which are, of course, being discussed.” He declined to elaborate, stating that it is not the intention of the Presidency to conduct negotiations in public -which is precisely why these meetings are taking place.
“What is important is that this effort is currently underway. It is significant that our side -the President of the Republic- has put forward very specific proposals, which are currently under negotiation and evaluation,” Letymbiotis emphasised.
“It is a positive development that the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy has been in our country for several days. It is also positive that these meetings are taking place regularly. We hope for a positive outcome at the next joint meeting,” he added.
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.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.