President Nikos Christodoulides rejected suggestions on Tuesday that the Cyprus problem had reached a deadlock, saying meetings between European Union and Turkish officials were expected as diplomatic efforts to restart negotiations continued.
Speaking on arrival at the Cyprus Forum in Nicosia, Christodoulides was responding to UN envoy María Ángela Holguín’s warning that the favourable opportunity for progress on the Cyprus problem was gradually being lost.
“I don’t know where they are getting their information from. We are certainly not at a deadlock,” Christodoulides said of those describing the process as stalled.
He said he would brief members of the National Council on Wednesday before commenting further on developments.
Christodoulides said UN Secretary-General António Guterres remained fully committed to restarting negotiations, while the Greek Cypriot side was supporting his efforts with what he described as new proposals concerning the methodology and substance of the process as well as confidence-building measures.
“We are working. There are problems, there are difficulties, there are challenges. We are working to achieve the goal of reunification,” he said.
The president acknowledged that the Turkish side’s insistence on a two-state solution remained an obstacle, saying he was not seeking to paint an overly positive picture of the situation.
Turning to the next steps, Christodoulides said Holguín would visit Cyprus, while European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto was active particularly in relation to Turkey.
“The European Union plays an important role. It was an issue discussed between the Secretary-General, the President of the Commission and the President of the Council,” he said.
Christodoulides said meetings between EU and Turkish officials were expected, as efforts continued towards the resumption of negotiations despite the difficulties surrounding the Turkish side’s position.
He again insisted there was no deadlock, saying a broader diplomatic effort remained under way and that the Greek Cypriot side was working “not with words, but with actions” on the areas identified by the UN Secretary-General.
‘Far too early’ for 2028 presidential race
Christodoulides was also asked about the rapidly developing presidential contest within opposition party DISY, after former party leader Averof Neophytou announced his candidacy for the 2028 presidential election and current leader Annita Demetriou subsequently said she would seek the party’s nomination.
Neophytou’s move prompted DISY to stress that anyone seeking the party’s nomination must go through its established internal procedures. Demetriou then announced that she would put herself before party members for the nomination, bringing the contest over DISY’s 2028 candidate firmly into the open.
Against that backdrop, Christodoulides said it was “far too early” for the presidential campaign to begin, while stressing that any citizen or political party had the right to enter the race.
“We are in September 2026 and the presidential election is in February 2028,” he said.
“In other countries, in parliamentary democracies, this entire period is roughly half a government’s term. Without overlooking or in any way questioning the right of any of our fellow citizens or any political party to begin this election campaign, I believe it is far too early.”
Christodoulides said the country faced serious challenges and that the executive wanted to work with the legislature to address issues affecting citizens.
“I believe that 17 or 18 months beforehand is far too early to begin this discussion,” he said, again stressing that he was not questioning anyone’s right to launch a candidacy.
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