President Christodoulides and Tufan Erhurman to meet on May 8

President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman are scheduled to meet on May 8 at 16:00. The meeting will be held at the residence of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Khassim Diagne, in the Nicosia buffer zone. Government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed the meeting, stating that these regular contacts are aimed at maintaining open communication channels. The primary objective is to create conditions for the resumption of substantive negotiations on the Cyprus issue. Letymbiotis emphasized that such meetings are part of a broader effort to achieve results, especially as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed a desire for developments before his term ends in late 2026. While the Greek Cypriot side expresses readiness for immediate progress, media reports indicate disagreements regarding the timing of new negotiations relative to upcoming elections and the Cypriot EU presidency. Some sources suggest Tufan Erhurman prefers delaying new processes until after these events, while President Christodoulides maintains that these factors should not impede the diplomatic timeline.