UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Cyprus from July 27-28, 2026, to meet separately and jointly with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman. The meetings aimed to restart peace talks that have been deadlocked for nearly 10 years [1, 2, 3, 4].
Guterres stressed that peace cannot be imposed externally but must come from the Cypriot people through their political leaders. "UN cannot impose peace. Only Cypriots, through their leaders, can build it," he said [3]. He also expressed solidarity with the Cypriot people and his commitment to finding a solution with both Cypriots and guarantor countries Greece, Turkey, and the UK [4].
The UN remains committed to supporting a comprehensive and sustainable settlement involving both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities alongside the guarantor powers [1, 2, 4]. To advance this effort, the UN plans to convene a new "5+1" meeting, including the two community leaders, guarantor countries, and the UN, after preparatory work on trust-building measures [2].
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following a Turkish invasion prompted by a Greek military-backed coup. The UN has deployed peacekeepers along the buffer zone since 1964 [1, 2, 3]. Past talks collapsed mainly due to disagreements over Turkey's role and political equality between communities [1, 5].
Turkish Cypriot leader Erhurman favors exploring a federal settlement but insists on prior agreement on political equality and negotiation rules, representing a shift from his predecessor's demands for a two-state solution [1]. Greek Cypriot leader Christodoulides supports resuming talks from the 2017 framework centered on a bizonal, bicommunal federation [1, 4].
Türkiye’s government welcomed Guterres' mediation efforts but blamed the Greek Cypriot side for the stalemate, calling their stance "intransigent" and urging new approaches beyond previous settlement models. An anonymous Turkish Ministry spokesperson stated, "We commend the efforts exerted by H.E. Antonio Guterres... settlement models that have been tried and exhausted over the decades belong to the past" [5].
The next major step will be the planned "5+1" meeting convened by the UN, which aims to bring together the key parties to progress negotiations after trust-building preparations.
