Government’s political will ‘firm’ ahead of Christodoulides–Erhurman meeting

The government’s political will for progress on the Cyprus problem is “given and firm”, ahead of a scheduled meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Monday, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday.

The meeting will take place at UN special representative Khassim Diagne’s residence in the buffer zone.

Letymbiotis said the meeting forms part of ongoing efforts to resume substantive negotiations on the Cyprus issue on the basis of relevant United Nations security council resolutions.

He added that the initiative follows recent diplomatic engagements, including Christodoulides’ meeting with UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres in Brussels, where cautious optimism was expressed regarding the prospects for progress.

“The intention for a substantive initiative requires a corresponding response from all parties involved to create the conditions for the resumption of talks from the point where they were interrupted,” Letymbiotis said.

“We emphasise once again, clearly, that our own political will is given and firm, with the aim of achieving substantive progress as soon as possible, through a process that will lead to substantive negotiations with perspective and results.”

He described the upcoming meeting as a key opportunity to assess whether political intent can translate into concrete steps.

The meeting is expected to follow the format of a previous encounter between Christodoulides and Erhurman held in February, which both sides described as “open and frank” but which did not yield tangible outcomes.

Erhürman has recently criticised public statements by Christodoulides as “inconsistent, unfounded and unserious”.

Christodoulides said he expects developments soon, describing his discussions with Guterres as “very substantive and very productive” and stressing a shared focus on the substance of the Cyprus issue.

Erhurman, in his own contacts with the UN, has raised concerns over what he described as the “unfair and illegal isolation” of the Turkish Cypriot community and outlined conditions he considers necessary for negotiations to resume.

Letymbiotis reiterated the role of the UN in facilitating the process, referring to the involvement of the secretary-general and his personal envoy in efforts to advance talks.

He said the framework remains grounded in UN parameters and resolutions, with the aim of restarting negotiations from where they last stalled.