Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides stressed on Tuesday morning the need for conducive conditions on the ground, particularly with regard to the buffer zone, to make possible the start of negotiations on the Cyprus issue, as he received UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix at the Presidential Palace.
The President thanked the United Nations for its interest in and focus on the Cyprus issue, telling Lacroix that conditions on the ground are a matter of concern for Nicosia and one it wishes to discuss with the UN side.
For his part, Lacroix expressed appreciation for the support provided to the United Nations in its efforts on Cyprus and said the UN remains committed to helping in any way it can, while also stressing that conditions should be kept as calm as possible.
Also present on behalf of the United Nations was the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus and Head of UNFICYP, Khassim Diagne. Those attending on the Cypriot side included Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Director of the President’s Press Office Victor Papadopoulos, Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou and the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations, Ambassador Maria Michael.
Violations in the area of Pyla and other locations across the UN controlled buffer zone are frequent, with the latest incident, in April 2026, involving the deployment of military vehicles and personnel from the Turkish-occupied areas, aimed at blocking veterinary checks. This prompted the UN to stress that unauthorised entry, presence or activity within the buffer zone constitutes a violation of the UN Mission’s mandate.
Cyprus has been divided since the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion. Numerous peace talks under the UN aegis with the aim to reunite the island under a federal roof failed to yield results. The latest round of talks took place in the summer of 2017 in the Swiss resort of Crans Montana.