Diplomatic efforts for Cyprus intensify at UN General Assembly in New York

During the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman held separate meetings with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin on September 24, 2026. President Christodoulides presented 19 new proposals covering the substance of the Cyprus issue, methodology, and confidence-building measures, which were received positively by the UN chief. The President expressed his readiness to extend his stay in New York if necessary to facilitate a potential tripartite meeting, which Guterres is considering pending response from the Turkish side.

Meanwhile, Tufan Erhurman also met with Maria Angela Holguin to evaluate the status of the Cyprus issue. He is scheduled to meet with Antonio Guterres on September 26 at 13:00 local time. These discussions occur amid high diplomatic activity, as the international community seeks to restart negotiations from the point they reached in Crans-Montana in 2017. President Christodoulides emphasized the importance of increased European Union involvement and stated that a solution must be based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions, ruling out the option of permanent partition. The ongoing diplomatic process remains sensitive to the need for mutual political will from both sides.