President Nikos Christodoulides said U.N. Secretary‑General António Guterres has reaffirmed his full commitment to achieving substantive progress on the Cyprus issue before his term ends later this year.
Speaking after their meeting on the sidelines of the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, Christodoulides said this goal aligns with Nicosia’s own priorities, citing Guterres’ previous involvement in the process, his familiarity with the Cyprus file and his European background.
The president described their discussion as productive, noting a shared intention to focus on the substance of the Cyprus problem and to push for meaningful progress within the year.
Christodoulides said Guterres briefed him on recent contacts in Turkey, including discussions on Cyprus and the possible next steps. Both agreed that the European Union can play a significant role in supporting progress toward a settlement.
Asked about differences with the Turkish Cypriot leadership, Christodoulides said Guterres has already met with Tufan Erhürman and that the secretary‑general’s approach — emphasizing substance over public positioning — is the correct one.
He said there is a clear desire for preparatory work that could lead to an informal, expanded-format conference aimed at producing results. No timeline was discussed, he added, beyond the need to make use of the remaining months of Guterres’ term.
Christodoulides said he was also briefed on how the U.N. sees the process moving forward toward a resumption of substantive talks. When asked about the secretary‑general’s specific approach, he declined to elaborate, saying he would not negotiate publicly.
“If we want to avoid progress, we can negotiate in public,” he said.