President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday there is a window of opportunity on the Cyprus problem that runs until the end of UN Secretary-General António Guterres' term, and that the effort to restart negotiations cannot go on indefinitely.
Speaking to reporters as he left the Presidential Palace, Christodoulides said preparations for a resumption of talks had been under way for some time, with contacts and meetings taking place away from the public eye. "We cannot discuss indefinitely," he said. "There is this window of opportunity, which is defined by the completion of the Secretary-General's term by the end of the year, and we truly wish, more than anyone else, to reach a positive outcome."
Guterres will complete his second five-year term at the end of 2026.
The President was asked to comment on the upcoming visit of UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy María Ángela Holguín, who is set to arrive on the island on the afternoon of 6 June and hold separate meetings with the two leaders on 8 June. Christodoulides said the visit is not a fresh start but a continuation of a process already in motion. "Mrs Holguín is coming for these contacts to continue and be further strengthened, but the effort has been under way for some time, with meetings and contacts, away from the spotlight, so that the conditions are created to achieve the goal of resuming talks," he said, adding that the Secretary-General is "fully committed" and has been personally involved in the effort.
Christodoulides said his upcoming meeting with Holguín will not be the first to have taken place within the framework of the new UN initiative, noting that contacts are continuing at various levels ahead of the envoy's arrival. After Cyprus, Holguín is expected to travel to Greece and Turkey as part of her regional consultations.
Asked whether a solution plan exists, the President said the immediate goal is a first step, the resumption of talks that will lead to a final outcome, not an open-ended process.
Christodoulides also addressed a separate domestic issue, saying he would hold an internal meeting later in the day on foot-and-mouth disease and the situation facing livestock farmers. "Whatever needs to be done will be done," he said.
