Cypriot leaders prepare for UN General Assembly

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman are scheduled to meet on Thursday, September 17, at 11:00 a.m. This meeting serves as their final discussion before the High-level Week of the 81st UN General Assembly, which begins in New York on September 18. Preparatory talks between negotiators Menelaos Menelaou and Mehmet Dana are occurring on Monday to set the agenda for the leaders' encounter.

The upcoming meeting follows a prior session on September 9, where the leaders discussed methodology, substance, and confidence-building measures. While President Christodoulides has emphasized that there is no "plan B" beyond the reunification of Cyprus, he noted that disagreements persist. Tufan Erhurman has expressed caution, urging the president to avoid initiatives that undermine trust between the two communities. President Christodoulides has also left open the possibility of a joint meeting in New York involving UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres or his personal envoy.

Diplomatic efforts remain complex as UN Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin has postponed her travel to Cyprus and New York due to health reasons. Her scheduled telephone call with the UN Secretary-General has not yet yielded specific updates, leaving the diplomatic landscape surrounding the UN involvement in flux.