Dialogos

President of Cyprus Disagrees with UN Envoy's Assessment on Cyprus Talks

Published February 21, 2026, 17:01
President of Cyprus Disagrees with UN Envoy's Assessment on Cyprus Talks

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, expressed strong disagreement with the assessment of the UN Special Envoy for Cyprus regarding the possibility of postponing the resumption of talks beyond June. The President emphasized that neither Cyprus's assumption of the EU Council Presidency nor domestic election procedures should be an obstacle to restarting negotiations. President Christodoulides presented a five-point proposal for restarting talks, which includes reaffirming the agreed basis for a solution, recording convergences from Crans Montana, convening an expanded conference by the UN Secretary-General, resuming substantial negotiations, and opening four roadblocks. He stated his readiness to participate in a new process as early as next week. Regarding the prospects for negotiations, the President estimated that the change in Turkish Cypriot leadership could contribute to restarting talks based on the Bi-zonal, Bi-communal Federation, from where they were interrupted in 2017. He stressed that the current state of affairs cannot be a solution to the Cyprus issue. Furthermore, the President referred to Greek-Turkish relations, arguing that their improvement could help restart talks, but emphasized that full normalization cannot exist without resolving the Cyprus issue. He also pointed out that any normalization does not negate Turkey's obligations to the European Union, including the need to restart negotiations.