United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced he will convene a fresh round of talks in the 5+1 format aimed at resolving the decades-long division of Cyprus. The announcement came after a joint meeting in Nicosia on Wednesday with the internationally recognised President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhürman.
The 5+1 format brings together the two Cypriot communities and the island's three guarantor powers: the United Kingdom, Greece, and Turkey. Guterres said he had secured consent from all parties to move ahead, but insisted that the meeting must be preceded by adequate preparation on confidence-building measures, methodology, and substance.
“I do not want to have further 5+1 meetings without results,” Guterres told reporters. “On the basis of our discussions on the way forward from here, I have decided to convene another 5+1 meeting, following adequate preparation on confidence-building measures, the methodology and the substance, taking into account the convergences already achieved.”
No timeline has been set for the new talks. Guterres said the United Nations would work in consultation with both sides and the guarantor powers to create the conditions for success. He also ruled out any meeting on Cyprus during the High-level Week of the UN General Assembly in September, stating that efforts would focus on joint preparatory work on the island and with the guarantors.
Appeal for trust and practical steps
Guterres called on the two leaders to step up efforts to define and implement confidence-building measures that would have a tangible impact on the daily lives of Cypriots. “This is the moment when every effort must be made to restore trust,” he said. Both Christodoulides and Erhürman assured him of their determination to cooperate substantively with his personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin.
The Secretary-General described his separate and joint discussions with the two leaders as “honest and constructive”. He said that in contacts with citizens from both communities, he had heard a clear demand for progress, compromises, and completion of the effort to resolve the Cyprus issue.
Guterres also underlined the need to respect the mandate and authority of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), both within the buffer zone and along the ceasefire lines. UNFICYP has contributed for more than six decades to maintaining calm and stability, he noted, and its effectiveness depends on the cooperation of all parties.
He also highlighted the work of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus and the Bicommunal Technical Committees, which offer practical solutions and connect the political process with the daily lives of citizens.
In his concluding remarks, Guterres stressed that a solution to the Cyprus issue is not only about peace and the interests of Cypriots, but could also serve as a factor of stability in a region facing ongoing conflicts and growing geopolitical risks. “The United Nations cannot impose peace,” he said. “But they remain fully committed to supporting the people of Cyprus at this critical moment for the island and the wider region.”
The announcement follows earlier separate meetings Guterres held with the two leaders, which he described as productive. For more on the Secretary-General's broader diplomatic efforts, see our coverage of his recent visit to Damascus and his call for global support for Syria.
