Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis expressed on Monday hope that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Cyprus on Tuesday could serve as a springboard for convening an expanded conference on the Cyprus issue.
Speaking after President Nikos Christodoulides’ meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, Letymbiotis said the Government expects Guterres to outline his thinking on the next steps of his initiative.
He said the aim is for an expanded conference to lead to the resumption of negotiations from the point where they were interrupted at Crans-Montana, while reiterating that Nicosia remains committed to the agreed settlement framework based on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Regarding the Christodoulides-Holguin meeting, Letymbiotis said it was held ahead of Guterres’ visit, during which the UN chief will hold separate meetings with President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, attend a joint dinner with the two leaders and later hold a joint meeting with them.
He described the visit as “very important.”
“We aim and hope that this visit will mark the beginning, will be the springboard that will lead to the convening of an expanded meeting,” he said.
Letymbiotis added that Holguín briefed the President on the series of contacts she held in recent weeks before meeting the Turkish Cypriot leader.
Realism due to Turkey’s stance
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Asked whether Holguin’s remarks following her meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan leave room for optimism, Letymbiotis said Nicosia views positively the fact that Guterres has personally led this new initiative since March, investing both his time and the institutional weight of his office.
At the same time, however, he said the Government remains aware of the challenges posed by Turkey’s position.
“At the same time, we are realistic and we recognise the many challenges that exist, primarily because of Turkey’s intransigence,” he said.
Letymbiotis added that President Christodoulides will have the opportunity to discuss with Guterres whether Turkey is prepared to realign itself with international law, noting that the UN Secretary-General held a telephone conversation with Hakan Fidan on Sunday evening.
“The common ground is the UN Security Council resolutions”
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Asked whether there are any indications of common ground between the sides, Letymbiotis said the only common basis is that established by the UN Security Council resolutions.
“There is common ground, and that common ground is the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the agreed basis, which has been clearly defined in all the relevant Security Council resolutions,” he said.
He added that the UN Secretary-General’s personal engagement, together with developments in EU-Turkey relations, creates conditions that the Greek Cypriot side intends to make use of.
“If there is even the slightest glimmer of hope, even the smallest window of opportunity, we will seize it,” he said, adding that the Government expects to hear directly from Guterres about the next steps of his initiative.
Bizonal, bicommunal federation the only solution under discussion
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Commenting on reports that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reiterated Ankara’s position in favour of a two-state solution during his meeting with Holguin, Letymbiotis declined to comment on the substance of their discussions, saying he could not speak on behalf of the UN envoy.
He stressed, however, that the United Nations is discussing only the solution set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
He added that this solution is promoted by the UN Secretary-General, supported by the international community and remains the framework on which the Republic of Cyprus bases its efforts.
In this context, he stressed that any proposal departing from a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined in the Security Council resolutions, cannot be regarded as constructive.
Goal remains resumption of talks from Crans-Montana
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Responding to a question about reports that the UN Secretary-General may seek to update the Crans-Montana framework, Letymbiotis reiterated Nicosia’s long-standing position.
“From the very beginning, we have made it clear that our objective is to resume negotiations from the point where they were interrupted at Crans-Montana, while preserving the acquis of the previous negotiating process,” he said.
He noted that the key issue is whether Turkey, which since 2021 has openly advocated a two-state solution, is prepared to realign itself with the UN Security Council resolutions.
Asked about speculation concerning “constructive ambiguities” in any new framework that Guterres might propose, Letymbiotis rejected such suggestions, noting that Holguin herself had already dismissed the relevant media reports.
“There can be no ambiguities, constructive or otherwise, and under no circumstances can there be provisions pointing to solutions outside the agreed framework,” he said.
He added that the Greek Cypriot side’s long-standing red lines remain the safeguarding of the Republic of Cyprus, adherence to the agreed UN Security Council framework, preservation of the three “single” principles, and full alignment of any settlement with the principles, values and legal order of the European Union, stressing that these positions are shared by both the international community and the European Union.
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.
CNA/TNE/EPH/2026S, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY