All necessary steps have been taken to ensure that such incidents are not repeated, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said, referring to the latest provocation by Turkish forces in Deneia buffer zone.
Speaking after an event for the ‘Day of Remembrance of the Detention Centers’, held in honor of the members of EOKA held at the Kokkinotrimithia Detention Centers, President Christodoulides said he had been briefed on the incident in Deneia buffer zone and had spoken with the President of the community.
‘From the very first moment, all necessary procedures have been undertaken in a specific direction, so that such phenomena are not repeated,’ he said.
Asked whether these incidents affect developments regarding the Cyprus issue, the President said that they are certainly not positive developments, ‘at a time when efforts are being made to create the right climate for the resumption of 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 is expected later this year.
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.