Nicosia: The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhrman, have agreed to meet again by the end of April with the aim of making more specific announcements. This decision was made during their meeting on Monday at the residence of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Cyprus, Khassim Diagne, located in the UN-protected area of Nicosia. The meeting highlighted the leaders' support for the UN Secretary-General's ongoing commitment and engagement with the Cyprus issue.
According to Cyprus News Agency, a UN press statement released after the meeting described the discussions as fruitful and conducted in a positive atmosphere. The leaders exchanged views on substantive issues and the way forward, reiterating their readiness to support the Secretary-General's efforts on the Cyprus matter.
The leaders reviewed the progress on trust-building initiatives and tasked their representatives to continue discussions to finalize outstanding issues. The meeting underscored the leaders' commitment to advancing the peace process and highlighted their readiness to collaborate with the UN towards a resolution.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974 following Turkey's invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite multiple rounds of UN-led peace negotiations, the issue remains unresolved. The last significant negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ended without a conclusive agreement.