Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday said he held an “open and honest” meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman as both sides discussed confidence-building steps and efforts to restart stalled Cyprus negotiations.
The meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes, took place at the residence of the head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Khassim Diagne.
Speaking to reporters afterward, Christodoulides said the leaders reviewed progress on confidence-building measures and agreed to provide guiding principles to their negotiators to help advance the process.
“We had an open and honest meeting,” he said, adding that broader substantive issues were also discussed.
Christodoulides said the two sides agreed to meet again soon to assess developments and determine whether further progress could be made toward resuming formal negotiations on the island’s future.
According to the Greek Cypriot leader, the talks included a detailed review of all confidence-building measures, including both areas of progress and points where delays have occurred. Issues related to crossing points between the two sides were also on the agenda.
He said the purpose of the contacts was to create momentum toward restarting comprehensive negotiations while preserving the framework established in previous United Nations efforts.
Christodoulides also said he has requested a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in March and plans to convene the Greek Cypriot National Council to brief political leaders and gather their views.
Christodoulides also noted that the principle of political equality between the two communities had been reaffirmed in line with recent U.N. discussions, as both sides explore ways to rebuild trust and move the long-stalled peace process forward.
The meeting comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to revive talks on the divided island. Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
The Greek Cypriot side is recognized as a political entity by most of the international community, while the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) pushes for recognition, with the support of Türkiye.
