President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, has said that he will raise the issue of provocations in the buffer zone, as well as other ‘negative developments’ that could affect efforts to resume Cyprus talks, during his meeting on Friday with Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhurman.
Speaking to the press upon his arrival at the ‘Makarios III’ Technical and Vocational Education and Training School in Nicosia to attend an event, the President said he was seeking a ‘substantive discussion’ with the Turkish Cypriot leader both on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) and on the substance of the Cyprus issue.
He said there have been ‘some positive developments’ regarding the CBMs, adding that he had been in contact with the personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General, Maria Angela Holguin ,and that the UN Secretary-General’s efforts are being further intensified.
The President expressed hope that there would soon be a ‘positive outcome’, which, as he noted, for the Greek Cypriot side could only mean the convening of a conference in a broader format at which the resumption of negotiations would be announced.
He also said that the UN Secretary-General immediately initiated relevant contacts following their meeting in Brussels in March and that consultations are continuing with all parties involved.
Asked whether provocations in the buffer zone would be discussed at the meeting he is holding with the Turkish Cypriot leader later today, President Christodoulides said, ‘of course I will raise the issue. It is not only the provocations in the buffer zone. There are also some other provocations, some other negative developments which may be created by some who wish to create a negative climate that inevitably affects both the substance of the Cyprus issue and the effort being made to resume negotiations.’
Regarding the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the Republic, President Christodoulides said that the state mechanism is ‘fully prepared to cope with these parliamentary elections, which have the highest number of candidates to date, so that everything runs smoothly on election day without any problems whatsoever.’
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 UN 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 a broader format, expected to take place before the end of 2025, has yet to be announced. María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked with engaging the parties.
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.
Further violations occurred at times in the area of Agios Dometios, in Nicosia, and other sites in and around the buffer zone, involving Turkish occupation troops. Guterres reiterated the importance of the parties refraining from taking unilateral actions that could raise tensions and compromise a return to talks.