Category: Cyprus News Agency

The National Council convenes on Friday, under President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, who is to brief political party leaders and hold discussions ahead of a visit to Cyprus next week by UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, according to information obtained by the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) from competent sources.

According to the same sources, President Christodoulides is expected to travel to Athens on Saturday for a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister ahead of Guterres’ visit.

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.

After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.

The approval of pound 9.2 million in funding from the European Solidarity Fund to support fire-affected areas in Cyprus, efforts to recognise the rights of lawful landowners in the occupied areas through European Union policies and efforts are underway to establish a European Agency for Rare Diseases based in Cyprus, are among the initiatives undertaken by Cypriot MEP Michalis Hadjipantela (EPP, DISY), who presented on Thursday a review of his first two years in the European Parliament during a press conference held at the EU House in Nicosia.

According to Hadjipantela, over the past two years he has played a leading role in 40 parliamentary dossiers and served on six parliamentary committees, as well as making decisive contributions in the Plenary, through which he helped shape European policies, with tangible results for Cyprus and European citizens.

In particular, the DISY MEP noted that he had served as Rapporteur and Shadow Rapporteur on dozens of legislative and budgetary dossiers, representing the European People’s Party on issues relating to the economy, the European budget, public health, the environment, energy, taxation and the European Union’s strategic autonomy, while at the same time, he made 33 speeches in the Plenary, tabled 41 written questions, took part in more than 170 institutional meetings, organised 18 political events and participated in six parliamentary delegations.

Among his activities to date, he highlighted his appointment as Rapporteur for the European Parliament’s 2027 Budget, one of the European Parliament’s most important institutional dossiers, while also noting his active involvement in the negotiations on the new Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034, which will set out the European priorities for the next seven years and the level of funding available to Member States.

He also described his involvement in the Annual Report on the European Banking Union as significant, as, in his capacity as Shadow Rapporteur, he succeeded in incorporating proposals that strengthen the protection of borrowers and primary residences, particularly for vulnerable households.

He added that migration was also one of the key pillars of his parliamentary work, as, in his capacity as Shadow Rapporteur on the budgetary assessment of European financial assistance to Egypt, he helped shape a strategy that strengthens stability in the region and addresses the root causes of migration flows, while at the same time, he actively participated in the dialogue on the new European Strategy on Asylum and Migration, emphasising the need for substantial support for frontline countries, such as Cyprus and Greece, through common European policies.

He further noted that his parliamentary work also included actions and initiatives on public health, civil protection, tax simplification, boosting the competitiveness of European businesses, the international role of the euro, the green transition, energy security and support for European industry.

With regard to Cyprus in particular, Hadjipantela made special reference to the approval of pound 9.2 million in funding from the European Solidarity Fund to support the fire-affected areas of Cyprus, highlighting the importance of utilising European instruments for the benefit of the country.

He also emphasised the initiatives he had undertaken in the European Parliament on behalf of displaced persons in Cyprus, proceeding to table an amendment to the Regulation on the Common Agricultural Policy 2028-2034 at the third consecutive stage, with the aim of incorporating the issue of displaced persons into the European legislative agenda, and calling for the recognition of the rights of lawful landowners in the occupied territories through European Union policies.

He also said that efforts are underway to establish a European Agency for Rare Diseases based in Cyprus, which is, moreover, the only Member State without a European agency on its territory.

Asked about the next MFF and the debate on the EU’s own resources, Hadjipantela said that there are two proposals from the European Parliament, the first concerning the taxation of betting companies and the second an increase in taxation on cigarettes, however, these will be the subject of negotiations with the European Council and the European Commission.

‘Our aim is to complete this process by the end of the year. We are mindful that there may be a change in the French Government and that developments regarding the 2028 budget may not be so positive. So the aim is to complete it by the end of the year. We in the European People’s Party have a special group that meets once a week to discuss the budget. We know where we need to go,’ he noted.

‘We are awaiting the Irish Presidency to table its proposals. In the European Parliament, we know what our own proposals are, we are firm in ensuring that we secure what we are demanding as the European Parliament. When this budget process began, the figures were much lower than they are at present, but through tough negotiations we managed to increase them, and I believe they will remain substantial,’ he added.

Asked about the annual report on the European Banking Union and the protection of borrowers and primary residences, Hadjipantela said that the report had already been forwarded to the European Central Bank and the European Banking Federation.

‘This proposal will be sent to the Association of Cyprus Banks in the coming days, we will inform them of this proposal and await their response as to what they intend to do in the future. Should we receive no response, when I visit the European Central Bank in September and meet with Lagarde, I will inform her that the Association of Cyprus Banks is not implementing this report passed by the European Parliament and I will ask what they intend to do,’ he noted in this regard.

Asked about the RescEU civil protection programme and whether there is a link with the European firefighting centre in Cyprus, the EPP MEP said that there certainly is.

‘We are working with the RescEU centre in Brussels to identify what we need here in Cyprus. At our suggestion, the budget for civil protection has been significantly increased, so that Cyprus, which has hosted this centre in recent months, may also benefit,’ he added.

Asked about the SAFE programme and Turkey’s insistence on participating in it, Hadjipantela said that in the questions they put to the European Commissioner for Defence, together with the other DISY MEP, Loukas Fourlas, regarding whether Turkey could participate in the programme, the response was negative.

He added that the opinion of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on European Defence Readiness with a view to 2030 and the ReArm Europe needs assessment includes an amendment of his own, co-signed by other MEPs, including the German Committee Chair, which explicitly states that companies whose ultimate beneficiary is of Turkish interest will not be able to take part in this programme, while in November 2025 a European Commission spokesperson stated that Turkey is excluded from SAFE.

‘Why do we in Cyprus keep insisting that Turkey is part of SAFE? Turkey may join SAFE provided there are certain developments in the Cyprus issue, and it is one of the bargaining chips held by both the European Union and our side,’ he stressed.

In response to a question regarding the initiative to erect a memorial in the European Parliament to the victims and missing persons of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Hadjipantela said that the resolution on the memorial is on the table, ‘but given that negotiations are underway to resolve the Cyprus issue, it is a matter we can address once the situation has become clearer.’ ‘However, the resolution is there and no one can question the European Parliament’s plenary session,’ he concluded.

Partner meeting of the SMART-HEAD Project in Cluj-Napoca

On 24-25 June 2026, the four universities behind the SMART-HEAD project met at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca in Romania for two days of joint work on the project’s progress. Representing the Cyprus University of Technology was Dr Antonia Christou, who joined colleagues from the coordinating Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria), the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and the Democritus University of Thrace (Greece) to take stock of what has been built so far and to map out the phase ahead.

SMART-HEAD, short for Sustainable Mindset and AI-Supported Digital Transformation in Higher Education, is a three-year Erasmus+ partnership running until 2028. Its premise is simple but ambitious: sustainability is too often taught as theory, when it needs to be lived. The project’s answer is a digital ecosystem, centred on a mobile application, that turns sustainability learning into a daily habit through flashcards, short daily questions, monthly tests and gamified challenges. Behind the scenes, AI analyses how students engage with the material and feeds back personalised content, giving lecturers a clearer picture of what works and where learners need support.

Much of the discussion in Cluj-Napoca focused on turning that vision into practice, refining the educational resources, preparing the piloting phase with student and academic target groups, and strengthening the teaching methodology that partner institutions will use to embed sustainability across their curricula. The partners also looked ahead to dissemination and the question of how to sustain the results once the funding period ends, so that the shift in mindset the project aims for outlasts the project itself.

For CUT, the meeting reaffirmed its role in shaping both the content and the pedagogy at the heart of SMART-HEAD, and in carrying the results back to Cyprus.

Commission fines Google pound 890 million for breaches of the Digital Markets Act

Today, the European Commission took two decisions finding non-compliance by Google with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for self-preferencing its own services on Google Search, and for putting in place restrictions on businesses to direct consumers to alternative, often cheaper, purchase channels on Google Play (steering). In this regard, the Commission issued Google a fine of pound 460 million and a fine of pound 430 million respectively.

Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, said: ‘Google has fallen short of effective compliance with the Digital Markets Act, and today we have taken decisive yet balanced enforcement action sanctioning these breaches. The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine. And European consumers have a right to be told by app developers where to sign up to the best offers, even when the app store owner does not get a cut. This is the promise of the DMA, protecting fairness, choice and innovation in digital markets for the benefit of all European citizens.’

Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said: ‘The two decisions we adopted today confirm our determination to apply the Digital Markets Act to safeguard business and innovation. We found that Google harms businesses offering similar services, such as shopping or sports, by not granting them the same level of prominence on Google Search. We also found that Google has restricted app developers from offering cheaper offers to customers in the Google Play app store. Google must now bring the non-compliance to an end and to refrain from continuing it in the future. Today’s decisions send a clear message; we will not hesitate to use our tools to safeguard business and innovation opportunities opened up by the DMA.’

More information is available in the press release.

Commission greenlights Sweden’s payment request for pound 1.47 billion under NextGenerationEU

Today, the European Commission positively assessed Sweden’s second payment request for pound 1.47 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU.

This is an important step in the delivery of the reforms and investments included in this payment request, which aim to support the green transition, a better functioning of the labour and housing markets, as well as to address demographic challenges.

The Commission found that Sweden has satisfactorily completed the 8 milestones and 8 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision.

Today’s payment request would bring the funds paid out to Sweden under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to pound 3.11 billion. This amount corresponds to 90.34% of all funds included in the Swedish recovery and resilience plan, with 87.76 % of all milestones and targets in the plan now fulfilled.

With a view to the closure of the Facility at the end of 2026, Member States must implement all outstanding milestones and targets by 31 August 2026 and submit their last payment requests by the end of September 2026.

You can find more information online in our press release.

Today, Greece received its first payment of pound 118.2 million under the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defence instrument, representing 15% of its total allocation of pound 787.7 million.

SAFE is a pound 150 billion financial instrument providing loans to Member States. It primarily funds joint procurement of ammunition, missiles, air defence, and ground combat systems produced within the EU. It is part of the European Commission’s ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030 plan, which aims to unlock over pound 800 billion in defence investment across the European Union.

The pre-financing will allow Greece to fast-track priority defence investments, enhance its resilience, and modernise its military capabilities in support of common European objectives. SAFE is intended to facilitate fast, co-ordinated action, strengthen the interoperability of European armed forces, and reinforce Europe’s defence industrial base through joint procurement and deeper cross-border co-operation.

Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space said: ‘Today’s first payment to Greece under SAFE is a clear sign that Europe delivers where it matters most: strengthening our common security and supporting our defence industrial base. By helping Greece move forward with key investments, SAFE reinforces not only national preparedness, but also our shared European resilience and strategic responsibility.’

This payment follows the completion of all required procedural steps and reflects the EU’s commitment to providing timely, practical support through SAFE. Further payments will follow, as agreed milestones and implementation are met.

The SAFE instrument is financed by EU borrowing on the financial markets. This enables competitively priced and attractively structured long-duration loans to requesting Member States. The terms of the SAFE loans benefit from the EU’s strong credit rating. All SAFE loans will be repaid by the beneficiary Member States.

(For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel: +32 2 299 10 99; Marine Strauss – Tel: +32 2 298 91 03)

Commission approves more than pound 103 million support from the EU Solidarity Fund to help Malta, Portugal, and Spain recover from storms

The European Commission has approved advance payments totaling pound 103.6 million to Malta, Portugal, and Spain under the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), to ease the financial burden of reconstruction efforts after the damage caused by the devastating storms that took place in these countries in January and February 2026.

The advance payments follow the applications for EUSF support submitted by Malta, Portugal, and Spain and the positive technical assessment by the Commission confirming that the criteria for access to the Fund have been met.

Malta was struck between 19 and 21 January 2026 by Storm Harry. The storm caused widespread flooding, coastal damage and transport disruption, with significant impacts on public infrastructure, harbours, fisheries, aquaculture, agricultural assets and local communities. Malta will receive an advance payment of pound 931 014.

Portugal was affected between 22 January and 15 February 2026 by a sequence of exceptionally intense storms. The storms brought strong winds, coastal turmoil and intense rainfall which led to floods and landslides and resulted in 18 fatalities, significant material damage and interruptions in the supply of essential services. Portugal will receive an advance payment of pound 65.37 million.

Spain was hit between 22 January and 14 February 2026 by the same storms as Portugal. The result was prolonged electricity, water and telecommunications cut off affecting thousands of inhabitants. People also suffered significant material losses and many homes were destroyed or left uninhabitable. Spain will receive an advance payment of pound 37.26 million.

The Commission will make a proposal to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU for the three applications. If approved, the final payments will follow later and depend on budgetary availabilities.

Since its establishment in 2002, the EU Solidarity Fund has provided over pound 11 billion in assistance for 148 disaster events, including 128 natural disasters and 20 health emergencies, across 25 Member States and six accession countries.

More information is available online.

Commission adopts assessment report on readmission cooperation

Today, the European Commission adopted its seventh assessment report to the Council on third countries’ level of readmission cooperation under Article 25a of the Visa Code. The report assesses the cooperation of 28 visa-required countries in 2025. Based on the annual assessment, the Commission can propose restrictive visa measures for third countries where cooperation is considered insufficient.

This year, the Commission is not proposing new restrictive visa measures.

The Commission previously proposed visa measures in relation to Bangladesh, Iraq, The Gambia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Somalia and Guinea. The report restates the relevance of the proposal for Senegal (from 2022). The proposal remains with the Council, with the objective of improving readmission cooperation. In view of substantial and sustained improvements in readmission cooperation, the Commission withdrew its proposals for Iraq and Bangladesh in November 2025 and visa measures for Ethiopia were repealed in May 2026. Due to insufficient cooperation, the Council adopted restrictive visa measures for Somalia in June 2026 and Guinea in July 2026. For The Gambia, first stage measures remain in place, after the increased visa fee was revoked in April 2024.

The Commission annually assesses readmission cooperation of visa-required third countries, reports to the Council and actively engages in dialogue to improve readmission cooperation with partners.

The report is not a public document. It will be sent to the Council and discussed with Member States. Commission proposals to the Council on visa measures take into account the Union’s overall relations with the countries concerned. The Commission will continue its active engagement with third countries to improve cooperation on readmission.

Repairs to two power-generating units with a combined capacity of 165 MW, which developed faults on Wednesday, are expected to be completed during the day, the Transmission System Operator Cyprus (TSOC) said in a statement, citing an update received on Thursday from the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC).

‘If the units operate smoothly and are restored to service, demand is expected to be fully met, while the necessary system reserves will also be secured,’ it added.

Referring to Wednesday’s power cuts, TSOC said the National Energy Control Centre carried out controlled, rotating load shedding across Cyprus on July 22.

It said the decision was deemed necessary because of the particularly high temperatures and the resulting increase in electricity demand, combined with unexpected faults at conventional power-generating units.

‘The measure was implemented to balance electricity generation and demand, with safeguarding the stability of the power system as the absolute priority,’ the statement said.

It added that the maximum duration of the interruption for each group of consumers did not exceed 22 minutes.

Speaking to CNA, TSOC National Energy Control Centre Assistant Director Charis Zavallis said the EAC had included the two units in its generation schedule and that, provided everything proceeded as planned, they would be restored to service and made available to TSOC.

EAC spokesperson Christina Papadopoulou told CNA that faults had occurred on Wednesday at two power-generating units, one at the Dhekelia power station and the other at Vasilikos, and that efforts were under way to repair them.

‘We hope that at least the Dhekelia unit will be available today, if not both units,’ she added.

CNA/CST/HT/AGK/2026S, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

Cyprus Stock Exchange

The Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE) All Share Index closed at today`s stock exchange meeting as follows:

MEETING DATE: 23/07/2026

INDICES BASE VALUES: FTSEMed=5000, OTH

EURO (pound )

TRADED VALUE:

445,765.14

INDEX

VALUE

% DIFF.

VALUE (pound )

FTSE/CySE 20

179.230

-1.120

435,509.970

MAIN MARKET INDEX

241.990

-1.220

349,526.140

INVESTMENT COMPANIES MARKET INDEX

2,868.900

-1.970

49,833.870

CSE GENERAL INDEX

305.000

-1.100

435,585.820

HOTELS INDEX

1,861.830

0.100

4,393.600

ALTERNATIVE MARKET INDEX

2,023.100

-0.870

91,049.920

* The second column presents the percentage variation of the indices as compared to the last meeting.

The University of Nicosia Achieves Prestigious ICAEW Strategic Degree Status for its BSc Accounting Programme

The University of Nicosia (UNIC) is proud to announce the formal approval of its BSc Accounting programme as a strategic degree by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). This recognition elevates the existing partnership between the two institutions, offering students a truly unique and accelerated path to the globally respected ACA qualification.

While the programme already held 8 credits for prior learning (CPL), this new strategic status enhances the framework, allowing students to sit the four ICAEW Professional Level examinations (Golden credits) directly as part of their undergraduate studies.

“Our collaboration with ICAEW is a testament to our commitment to providing world-class education that bridges academic theory with professional practice,” said Professor Petros Lois, Head of the Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance at the University of Nicosia. “This strategic partnership means our students don’t have to wait until after graduation to start their journey to becoming chartered accountants. They will be fully prepared to sit these exams during their degree, significantly accelerating their career prospects.”

A New Model of Professional Excellence

Under the newly approved model, the ICAEW examinations are fully integrated into the BSc Accounting programme. Students will be able to take the exams directly with ICAEW as computer-based exams once they have successfully completed the corresponding academic modules mapped to the syllabus. This module-to-exam mapping ensures students are progressively prepared throughout the programme, rather than waiting until the very end to attempt all four exams.

Crucially, the assessment, marking, and reporting of results for these four examinations will be managed directly by ICAEW, ensuring the highest standards of rigour and global consistency. Students will graduate not only with a top-tier BSc degree but also with significant progress already made towards their ACA qualification.

“A strategic partnership like this is a game-changer for our students,” noted Professor Petros Lois. “By working directly with ICAEW, we are providing a more integrated and risk-free path for our students. They receive the same rigorous syllabus and global standards, while the University benefits from ICAEW’s world-class assessment processes.”

Next Steps and Support

The University and ICAEW will now work closely on the operational processes to ensure a seamless experience for students. This includes coordinating how cohorts will be registered for the ICAEW exams and how results will be reported back to the University to form part of the student’s academic record.

The first cohort of students will be eligible to sit the ICAEW exams within the upcoming academic year, with a dedicated team from both UNIC and ICAEW managing the process to ensure a smooth transition for all students.

For more information, please contact:

Prof. Petros Lois

Head, Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance,

School of Business, University of Nicosia

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (C)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1800 23/07/2026 UNTIL 1800 24/07/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1001hPa (hectopascal)

Seasonal low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine, but local mist and low cloud are expected, later tonight and early morning.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in mist

Sea surface temperature: 28°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Night Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, later near the coast North to Northeast 3 Slight, later near the coast Slight to Moderate

Morning Southwest to West 3 to 4, locally South 4 Slight to Moderate, locally Moderate

Afternoon Southwest to West 4, at times locally West 4 to 5 Moderate

South Coast

Night Southwest to West 3 to 4, later Northwest to Northeast 2 to 3 Slight, later Smooth to Slight

Morning Southeast to Southwest 3, gradually Southwest to West 4 Smooth to Slight, gradually Slight

Afternoon Southwest to West 4 to 5, gradually locally 6 Slight to Moderate

East Coast

Night Southwest to West 3 to 4, soon Variable 2 to 3 Slight, soon Smooth to Slight

Morning East to Southeast 3, gradually South to Southwest 4 Smooth to Slight, gradually Slight

Afternoon Southwest 4 to 5 Slight, locally Slight to Moderate

North Coast

Night Southwest to West 3 to 4, later South to Southwest 3 Slight

Morning Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4, locally 4 Slight, locally Slight to Moderate

Afternoon Southwest to West 4, locally offshore 4 to 5 Slight to Moderate, locally offshore Moderate

President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, who departs on Saturday for Athens, has said that there is a possibility that he will meet with EU Special Representative for Cyprus, Rafaele Fitto, after his meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The President was replying to journalists’ questions on his arrival at the Timios Stavros Square, in Omodos, where he will address the inauguration event of the square.

Asked about his visit to Athens on Saturday, President Christodoulides said that “I will go on Saturday morning for an exchange of views” adding that coordination already exists, “but we considered it necessary to hold this meeting, in view of the very important visit of the UN Secretary-General.” It is noted that the UNSG will visit Cyprus 27-29 of July.

President Christodoulides added that there is a possibility “that we will have the EU Envoy, Mr Fitto, immediately afterwards”.

The President underlined that ‘we want to take advantage of this mobility that we have largely created through our actions, through our strategy, so that we can achieve the goal of resuming the talks on the basis of the agreed framework from where they were interrupted in 2017″.

Replying to another question about UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin, he said that she was in Brussels and had meetings with Fitto, during which she was informed about the EU’s positions on the Cyprus issue, which, as he said, ‘are completely aligned with the positions of the Republic of Cyprus.’

The President pointed out that a ‘very important meeting” is taking place tomorrow, as Holguin will be in Turkey, to meet with the Turkish Foreign Minister.

After Turkey, she will be in Cyprus, the President said.

‘We are in contact so that on Sunday or early Monday there will be a meeting with Holguin, in anticipation of the arrival of the UN Secretary-General,’ 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.

After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. 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.

A UN diplomatic source in Brussels has told CNA that concrete results will be needed from the visit of UN Secretary-General António Guterres to Cyprus on July 27-29, and from the meeting of the tripartite meeting, before the process can move forward to five-party conference talks.

At the same time, the source denied recent press reports about the existence of a plan, stressing the UN’s focus remains on preparing for Guterres’ visit to the island at the end of July and his meeting with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides.

The source noted that the contacts of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on the Cyprus issue, Maria Angela Holguín, both in Brussels and in Ankara tomorrow, Friday, fall within this same framework.

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.

After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.