Cyprus President says he is “cautiously optimistic” following meeting with UNSG
Drawing on the lessons of the 1821 Greek struggle, we continue our own effort for the liberation and reunification of our homeland, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday, noting that he was “cautiously optimistic” following his recent meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in Brussels.
President Christodoulides also highlighted the “clear political will of the Secretary-General” and his plan “on how to move forward”. He expressed hope for a positive response from the Turkish side, so that this intention can be translated into a concrete and substantive initiative leading to the resumption of talks from where they were left off, with the aim of resolving the Cyprus issue based on the agreed framework.
In statements after the student parade outside the Greek Embassy in Nicosia marking the Greek Independence Day, President Christodoulides said the 1821 Greek Revolution “was the only liberal revolution that achieved results and paved the way for other peoples to gain their freedom”.
He stressed, however, that the most important point “is to draw the right lessons and to make use of the way in which the Greeks fought to secure their freedom”.
“It is precisely by building on these lessons that we continue our own effort for the liberation and reunification of our homeland,” he said.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format that was expected to take place before the end of 2025, is yet to be announced. María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.
