President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday rejected a call by the United Nations secretary-general’s personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín, to delay efforts to restart Cyprus talks until July, saying he is ready to meet as early as next week.
Immediate resumption
Holguín had argued in an op-ed that the Republic of Cyprus’s EU Council Presidency, the May parliamentary elections, and the need for the new Turkish Cypriot leader to settle in made the coming months unsuitable for negotiations.
Christodoulides dismissed these arguments, stating he had not yet read the article when speaking to reporters. “I am ready next week for us to meet in an expanded conference, as we promised the Secretary-General in New York, and to announce the resumption of talks from where they left off at Crans-Montana, with full respect for the negotiating acquis. Let us all prove in practice that we are ready. Let us leave the statements behind,” he said.
He stressed that neither the EU Council Presidency nor the upcoming elections affect the timeline, calling the elections argument “laughable.” The president added that if there is willingness from both the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot sides, talks could move forward immediately.
UN envoy’s position
In her op-ed, Holguín highlighted the two leaders’ agreement to communicate directly without UN mediation, suggesting the need for “a different model of interaction” to demonstrate genuine interest in resuming negotiations.
She indicated she would not return to the island for months, saying she would do so only when she could contribute to a concrete step forward and when her presence was deemed useful by the leaders.
Holguín noted that Cyprus’s EU Council Presidency would occupy the government with coordinating meetings and issues at the EU level, while the May elections created a “political moment” limiting the possibility of significant changes. She also highlighted that the new Turkish Cypriot leader must coordinate both internal governance and relations with Türkiye, complicating the dialogue process.
She suggested that both leaders continue meeting to make small joint decisions and explore ideas for a formal negotiation restart “beginning in July.”
External meetings
Holguín has also been convening Cyprus-related meetings outside the island, including plans to bring together co-chairs of the bi-communal technical committees in London next week. Analysts suggest this approach is linked to the recent New York trip of Turkish Cypriot leader Erhürman.
Turkish perspective
Turkish presidency sources told the Cyprus News Agency that the key question is “whether there is willingness to meet on the basis of the sovereign equality of the two sides,” noting that acceptance of such a formula by the Greek Cypriot side remains uncertain.
Also read: Members of MMAD in Brussels to support EU Council security
For more videos and updates, check out our YouTube channel
