UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he had decided to convene a new five-plus-one meeting on the Cyprus problem, based on his discussions this week with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, held both separately and together.
Guterres said that from the earliest days of his mandate, acting in line with United Nations parameters, he had sought through his good offices to assist Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in their efforts to reach a comprehensive, sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue. In this context, he said, it was his duty to come to Cyprus to express his full solidarity with the people of Cyprus in their quest for a solution.
Guterres noted that previous rounds of UN-led talks on Cyprus were held in Geneva and Crans-Montana in 2017, Berlin in 2019, Geneva in 2021, and New York and Geneva in 2024 and 2025.
“Based on our discussions on the way forward, I decided that I would convene another 5+1 meeting, after adequate preparations on confidence building, methodology and substance, taking into account the convergences already achieved,” Guterres told reporters at a press conference marking the end of his first visit to Cyprus. He said the UN would work in consultation with the two sides and the guarantors to create the conditions for the meeting’s success.
Asked about a deadline, Guterres said he had the consensus of both sides and the guarantors to move towards the meeting, but stressed the need for preparation first. “It was not defined the deadline,” he said. “We are going to work together as fast and as effectively as possible.” He said he did not want another five-plus-one meeting without results, and wanted a successful meeting that would pave the way to a solution.
Asked whether a new initiative could be expected at the UN’s high-level week in September, Guterres said no meeting on Cyprus was scheduled for that period, adding that efforts were now concentrated on the common work with the two sides and the guarantors to move decisively towards a solution.
On the wider regional stakes, Guterres said the region was witnessing significant geopolitical shifts and conflicts that persisted and could expand. A solution in Cyprus, he said, was crucial not only for the interests and peace of Cypriots but as “a factor of stability” in the region. He said an unresolved Cyprus problem would leave the island more vulnerable to the risks facing a region that is “largely in flames.”
Guterres said Christodoulides and Erhurman had both assured him of their determination to keep working with his personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín, who he said had been building on past UN efforts and on what she had heard directly from Cypriots. He said the message from the many Cypriots he had met during the visit was clear: “They want progress. They want to see their leaders make compromises and to walk that last mile towards a settlement of the Cyprus issue. They want a future in which this island is defined not by division, but by cooperation, opportunity, and peace.”
Guterres thanked Cypriots for what he called “the warm welcome” he had received, and described Cyprus as “an island of remarkable history, rich culture, and enduring resilience,” where the present coexists with “the scars of a painful past.” He said the visit had shown him “a deep desire among Cypriots to build a more peaceful and shared future,” and called this “the moment when all efforts must be made to rebuild trust.” He said it was essential to redouble efforts to define and implement confidence-building measures that could make a difference in the daily lives of all Cypriots, and appealed to the two leaders to intensify these efforts.
He also stressed the need to respect the mandated authority of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, UNFICYP, in the buffer zone and along the UN-delineated ceasefire lines, noting it had helped maintain calm and stability for more than six decades. He praised the Committee on Missing Persons for its work with the families of missing persons, the bicommunal technical committees bridging the political track and everyday citizens, and said he had also had the opportunity to engage constructively with members of civil society. He said he was counting on the continued support of the three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and thanked UNFICYP staff and his Mission of Good Offices for their role in advancing peace and stability.
“The United Nations cannot impose peace,” Guterres said. “But let me be very clear: the United Nations remains fully committed to supporting the people of Cyprus in this crucial moment for the island and the wider region.”
