President Christodoulides and Tufan Erhürman hold substantive meeting on Cyprus issue

President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman met on September 9, 2026, at the Nicosia old airport UN Good Offices premises for their second meeting within an intensified dialogue process. The one-hour discussion focused on methodology, the substance of the Cyprus problem, and confidence-building measures (CBMs). While President Christodoulides described the meeting as substantive, noting progress on certain issues, Turkish Cypriot leader Erhürman reported that no agreement on new CBMs was reached. He emphasized the need for a 'conducive climate' and criticized recent initiatives that he believes erode mutual trust.

Following the meeting, President Christodoulides indicated that Cyprus talks are ready to resume from where they were suspended at Crans-Montana. He revealed the possibility of a trilateral meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly later in September, involving himself, Erhürman, and either UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres or his personal envoy, María Angela Holguín. The UN is currently finalizing a document recording convergences, expected to be completed within days. The two leaders are scheduled to meet again next week, either on Wednesday or Friday, following preliminary discussions between their respective negotiators.