The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to restarting the long-stalled peace process on the divided Mediterranean island, the United Nations said after a meeting Thursday in Nicosia.
For the first time since his election in October, Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman met with Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in the presence of the U.N. Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, at the U.N. compound in Nicosia.
In a statement after the talks, the United Nations said the two leaders had “committed to continue to work in the meantime in Cyprus to produce tangible results for the benefit of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and to ensure the success of the next informal meeting,” to be convened by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
“They expressed their willingness to meet as often as needed,” the U.N. statement added, underscoring a shared intention to keep up momentum in dialogue and confidence-building measures ahead of broader negotiations.
The meeting followed an earlier encounter in March in Geneva that provided a foundation for renewed engagement. Both sides have also agreed on practical confidence-building initiatives — such as expanding access for Turkish Cypriot Halloumi cheese manufacturers to European markets, improving traffic flow at buffer-zone crossing points, and completing a long-delayed water pipeline agreement — seen as steps toward creating a more conducive climate for substantive peace talks.
The divided island has been split since 1974, when Turkey’s military intervention followed a coup aimed at union with Greece. Decades of U.N.-backed negotiations have failed to reunify the island, but recent political shifts and renewed engagement offer cautious hope for progress.
