UN Secretary-General convenes new 5+1 talks on Cyprus division
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced fresh negotiations involving Cyprus and its three guarantor powers, aiming to break a half-century deadlock that carries significant implications for regional stability.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced fresh negotiations in a 5+1 format to resolve the decades-long division of Cyprus. The initiative follows a joint meeting in Nicosia on Wednesday with Republic of Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman.
The proposed talks will bring together the leadership of both the Greek-speaking south and the Turkish Cypriot-administered north. They will be joined by the island’s three guarantor powers established under the 1960 independence treaty: the United Kingdom, Greece, and Turkey.
Guterres, who leaves his post at the end of this year, emphasized that the process requires substantive groundwork rather than a rushed timetable. "I have the consent of both sides and of the guarantor powers to move ahead with a 5+1 meeting, but with sufficient preparation," he stated, adding that he does not want further meetings without results.
For European observers and investors, breaking this half-century deadlock represents more than a diplomatic milestone. A resolved Cyprus issue could serve as a crucial stabilising factor in a region currently facing ongoing conflicts and growing geopolitical risks.
The island has remained split since 1974, when the Turkish military invaded following a Greek-backed coup. While the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus is an EU member controlling the south, the north is recognised only by Turkey, with a UN buffer zone dividing the capital of Nicosia.
No specific deadline has been set for the negotiations, and Guterres ruled out holding a meeting during the UN General Assembly’s High-level Week in September. Instead, the UN will focus on joint work to develop confidence-building measures that tangibly improve the daily lives of Cypriots.
Both Christodoulides and Erhürman have pledged to cooperate substantively with María Ángela Holguín, the UN personal envoy to Cyprus. Guterres noted that citizens from both communities have expressed a clear demand for progress, compromises, and completion of the effort to resolve the division.
The Secretary-General also underlined the necessity of respecting the authority of UNFICYP, the UN peacekeeping mission that has maintained stability along the ceasefire lines for over six decades. He concluded by noting that while the United Nations cannot impose peace, it remains fully committed to supporting the people of Cyprus.
