UN Secretary-General’s initiative for a new Cyprus meeting has already begun with contacts at various levels and the Greek Cypriot side hopes that this will take place earlier than July, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday. He also expressed satisfaction with the immediate response of the peacekeeping force UNFICYP to recent Turkish provocations in the buffer zone and the efforts for de-escalation.
The Spokesperson made statements to the press at the Presidential Palace following a meeting President Christodoulides had with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, with whom he discussed these recent provocations.
Lacroix later held a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman.
Letymbiotis said that the President had the opportunity to exchange views with the UN top official on the ongoing violations in the buffer zone area, pointing out that the occupation regime attempts to change the status quo. He noted that President Christodoulides recognised the immediate response of the peacekeeping force in accordance with the terms of its mandate and the effective management of the situation.
He also underlined the importance of the presence of UNFICYP on the island.
The Spokesperson also said that the commitment and approach of the UNSG were discussed with the aim of utilizing the time until the completion of Guterres’ tenure in order to achieve substantial progress towards resuming Cyprus negotiations from where they left off.
According to the Spokesperson, the UN official thanked the President for Cyprus’ regional humanitarian role and its support and assistance to Lebanon in particular.
When asked whether the UN has the intention or willingness to take more drastic measures in relation to the repeated provocations in Pyla and Pergamos areas by the Turkish occupying forces, Letymbiotis said that the UN official conveyed the message that things are moving towards a de-escalation and that this is the goal and mission of the peacekeeping force.
”We must reiterate once again that the response of the peacekeeping force was in accordance with the terms of its mandate,’ said Letymbiotis.
In relation to the Turkish Cypriot leader’s public statement that the UNSG will assume a new initiative on the Cyprus issue in July, Letymbiotis recalled that the President of the Republic himself has made this initiative public following their meeting in Brussels.
He reiterated that our side is ready “even tomorrow” if it is necessary to participate in an expanded conference, to resume negotiations from where they left off , in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.
Asked if Lacroix himself expressed any concern about the provocations in Pyla and the violations to alter the regime of the buffer zone, the Spokesperson replied that by no means does anyone ignore the seriousness and importance of such violations and the fact that they do not contribute constructively to this effort that the Secretary-General has personally undertaken.
He said that the UN pointed out that they are constantly monitoring the situation and they take the necessary measures based on the developments.
In another question whether our side is satisfied with the explanations given by the UN regarding a meeting UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacekeeping Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo held with the Turkish Cypriot leader in Turkey and the fact that the flag of the illegal entity was on the table of the meeting, Letymbiotis spoke of an “unfortunate moment” and stressed that from the very beginning, demarches were made through Cyprus’ permanent mission to the UN and in Nicosia.
Letymbiotis said that the UNSG Spokesperson “in a clear way, reiterated UN’s firm position and SG’s firm position”.
He said that strong representations were made from the beginning both in Cyprus and in New York and we had the response by the UN yesterday.
In another question about a new meeting between President Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Letymbiotis said that the negotiators of the two sides will meet tomorrow and announcements will be made if necessary.
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.