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President After Meeting with Guterres: “Common Goal is Substantial Progress on Cyprus Before Year-End”

Published March 18, 2026, 20:14
President After Meeting with Guterres: “Common Goal is Substantial Progress on Cyprus Before Year-End”

The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, stated after his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that there is a common goal for substantial progress on the Cyprus issue before the end of Mr. Guterres' term. President Christodoulides described the discussion with Mr. Guterres as “very substantial and productive,” emphasizing that both sides are focused on the substance of the Cyprus issue and want to achieve progress before the end of the year. During the meeting, Mr. Guterres informed President Christodoulides about his discussions in Turkey and how he sees the next steps. President Christodoulides mentioned that Mr. Guterres will have meetings with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, in Brussels. President Christodoulides assured President von der Leyen that the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU and the upcoming parliamentary elections will not affect the effort to resolve the Cyprus issue. He expressed his expectation for developments in the context of discussions with the Secretary-General. President Christodoulides and Mr. Guterres agreed on the need to focus on the substance of the Cyprus issue, with the aim of achieving an informal conference with specific results. The President stated that time is limited, but both sides believe there is potential for progress before the end of Mr. Guterres' term.