President Christodoulides addresses UN General Assembly amid diplomatic tension with Turkey

On September 23, 2026, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides delivered an address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. The speech focused on the Cyprus problem, with the President calling for a resumption of negotiations based on the UN-mandated bizonal, bicommunal federation framework. During his address, Christodoulides directly responded to comments made the previous day by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, labeling Turkey's invocations of international law as hypocritical given the 52-year-old Turkish military occupation of northern Cyprus.

The session was marked by diplomatic friction, as members of the Turkish delegation left the assembly hall during the President's speech. Prior to this, on September 21, Christodoulides participated in a high-level summit titled 'Partners for Multilateralism, International Law, Peace and Prosperity', convened by European Council President António Costa, Kenyan President William Ruto, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. In both forums, he emphasized that for small states, effective multilateralism and the universal application of international law are vital for security. He underscored the need to reject partition and return to the negotiation table from the point where talks stalled in 2017, urging Turkey to commit to substantive dialogue under the established UN framework.