United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres launched a new effort on Tuesday to restart Cyprus peace talks, meeting separately with Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman in Nicosia after nearly a decade of deadlock. Guterres, whose term ends at the close of 2026, is making his first visit to the island as UN chief. The three leaders are scheduled to hold joint talks on Wednesday in the UN-controlled buffer zone that divides the capital.
“I will do everything I can to support the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in this very important moment,” Guterres said after meeting Christodoulides. “It depends obviously on the Cypriots themselves.” Differing positions on the way forward Christodoulides wants negotiations to resume from the point where talks collapsed in 2017, under the established UN framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation. Erhurman, elected last year, has signalled openness to a federal settlement — a shift from his predecessor’s insistence on a two-state solution.
However, he has made clear he will not enter another open-ended process without prior agreement on political equality and the basic rules of negotiation. Cypriot media have reported that the United Nations has prepared ideas aimed at bridging the gaps, though UN officials deny that a completed plan exists. Background: Why Cyprus remains divided Cyprus has been split since the 1974 Turkish invasion, launched in response to a short-lived coup backed by the Greek military junta.
A power-sharing arrangement between Greek and Turkish Cypriots had already collapsed in 1963, prompting the deployment of one of the UN’s oldest peacekeeping forces, which still monitors the 180 km ceasefire line. The internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus (Greek Cypriot-led) represents the whole island in the European Union and held the rotating EU presidency in early 2026. The north is administered by a breakaway Turkish Cypriot entity recognized only by Turkey.
A core sticking point in past negotiations has been the future role of Turkey as a guarantor power. Greek Cypriots reject any ongoing Turkish military or political involvement, while Turkish Cypriots regard it as essential. Failure to restart meaningful talks would prolong a conflict that continues to strain relations between NATO allies Greece and Turkey and complicates Turkey’s ties wit…
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