On July 24, 2026, the National Council of Cyprus convened under the chairmanship of President Nikos Christodoulides to review developments in the Cyprus issue. The council welcomed the upcoming visit of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, scheduled for July 27–29, marking the first such visit in 16 years. Members also acknowledged the appointment of European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaelle Fitto as the EU Special Envoy for the Cyprus issue and expressed support for the President’s efforts to resume substantive negotiations from the point where they stalled at Crans-Montana in 2017.

Following the council meeting, President Christodoulides is set to travel to Athens on July 25 to coordinate diplomatic strategy with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. This visit, involving the participation of the entire negotiating team, aims to align positions between Nicosia and Athens before the Secretary-General’s arrival. The objective of the forthcoming UN meetings is to facilitate a broadened conference to restart peace talks based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, fully compliant with EU principles and international law.