Guterres begins first UN chief visit to Cyprus since 2010 as expectations stay low

Politics Antonio GuterresCyprus problemMaria Angela Holguin CuellarNikos ChristodoulidesTop Newsturkish invasion Guterres begins first UN chief visit to Cyprus since 2010 as expectations stay low Group Of 77 Plus China (g77+china) Summit In Kampala Relevant News Guterres begins first UN chief visit to Cyprus since 2010 as expectations stay low 28 July 2026 Anger mounts in Larnaca as defence minister blames army battalion for wildfire, promises answers within ten days 28 July 2026 Guterres lands in Cyprus, pledges ‘comprehensive and lasting’ solution 28 July 2026 Andreas Bimbishis 28 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber António Guterres is the first UN Secretary-General to set foot in Cyprus since 2010, arriving on a particularly difficult mission, with expectations for a positive outcome very low. Ankara’s negative stance is making the Secretary-General’s task on the Cyprus problem harder. Maria Angela Holguín left Ankara at the end of last week “empty-handed,” as the Turkish stance on resuming efforts on the Cyprus problem remains unchanged. Twenty-four hours before arriving in Cyprus, Guterres himself telephoned the Turkish Foreign Minister. The UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy is still keeping the bar fairly high, despite not achieving as much as she may have hoped at her meeting with Hakan Fidan last Friday. Nicosia does not appear to share Holguín’s optimism and prefers to keep expectations particularly low. Attention now turns to what Guterres will do today and tomorrow, and how far his announcements will go after his second round of meetings with President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman. The avoidance of optimistic statements from both sides is another sign of the difficulty Guterres faces on his Cyprus mission. Four meetings, two by two On Cypriot soil, Guterres will hold four critical meetings, starting this morning when he sees President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Erhurman separately. During these two meetings, the Secretary-General is expected to listen to and note down what each of the two leaders has to say individually. Based on what he hears from Christodoulides and Erhurman, he will set the table for tonight’s dinner at the residence of the UN Secretary-General’s special representative, Hashim Dyan. The history of the Cyprus problem suggests that at similar gatherings, the only thing occupying dinner guests is the menu. Something similar is expected tonight, after 7pm, when Guterres, Christodoulides and Erhurman meet. During the dinner, the “expanded framework” is also expected to be on the table, which, according to reports, is one of the goals the Secretary-General has set for his visit to Cyprus. It is also possible he will follow a similar approach to the one he used at the 5+1 meetings in Geneva and New York in 2025, when he chose to leave the substance of the discussion for the following day. Tomorrow’s meeting between the Secretary-General and the two leaders will be decisive for the outcome of Guterres’s visit to Cyprus. The talks he holds with them will shape the announcements he makes around midday on Wednesday, by which point he will have completed a full 24 hours of intensive consultations on the island. Guterres’s schedule Today 10.15 – Meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and António Guterres 11.45 – The Secretary-General will meet Tufan Erhurman in the occupied north Wreath-laying at the monument to fallen peacekeepers outside Ledra Palace Visit to the Committee on Missing Persons’ anthropological laboratory Meeting with negotiators, members of bicommunal technical committees and civil society representatives 19.00 – Dinner with the two leaders Tomorrow Meeting with the two leaders at the offices of the Good Offices Mission Press conference immediately after the meeting with the two leaders Radio silence on both sides Notably, “radio silence” prevailed on both sides over the past 24 hours, a sign that both are approaching Guterres’s visit with due seriousness. The avoidance of statements that, on the Cyprus problem, usually trigger a prolonged blame game suggests that, at least on Cypriot soil, neither side wants to make things harder for the Secretary-General. Beyond that, however, how each side will contribute to the main goal, convening a new informal five-party meeting, is something that will only become clear during the meetings with the Secretary-General. The Greek Cypriot side appears to be seeking a new informal multilateral meeting aimed at restarting talks. The Turkish Cypriot side, by contrast, is unable to follow the steps of the Greek Cypriots or the Secretary-General himself, due to Turkey’s overall stance. Messages from the two leaders Both leaders signalled their intention to help the Secretary-General in his mission. For the Greek Cypriot side and President Christodoulides, the Secretary-General’s visit, according to the government spokesperson, could serve as a springboard for convening a multilateral conference on the Cyprus problem. Tufan Erhurman, in a social media post, said he would continue to contribute in good faith to the Secretary-General’s efforts so that Tuesday and Wednesday’s meetings prove fruitful. Maria Angela Holguín met separately with both leaders yesterday. The meetings were preparatory for those the Secretary-General himself will hold today with President Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Erhurman. Speaking to journalists after her meeting with Erhurman, Holguín said: “The visit is proof of the Secretary-General’s commitment to Cyprus, that’s why he’s coming. He has offered his good offices here for years, has been dealing with the Cyprus problem for 10 years while being Secretary-General, so he’s coming here to support the efforts and try to move forward, so there’s the possibility of a negotiation process.” Speaking after her meeting at the Presidential Palace with President Christodoulides, she said: “We’re preparing for the Secretary-General’s visit,” who arrives tonight. “The Secretary-General’s mission is to facilitate, to encourage the people and the leaders to move towards negotiations,” she noted. She said that was exactly why he was coming, adding that the Secretary-General has been visiting Cyprus, “for almost ten years he’s promoted and supported efforts on the Cyprus problem. He’s coming with this purpose and I hope we’ll be able to make some progress,” Holguín added. She also said she had returned from a long trip to Brussels and Ankara, where she had “good meetings and we discussed all the necessary issues that need to move forward for there to be progress.” She added that she was pleased “that we are welcoming the Secretary-General.” The phone call and jabs at the EU Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke by phone with UN Secretary-General Guterres on Sunday, according to Turkish state agency Anadolu, which cited sources at the Turkish Foreign Ministry. According to the same information, the two men “discussed regional developments prompted by the Secretary-General’s visits to Syria and Cyprus.” Turkish diplomatic sources did not reveal further details or clarify what was discussed regarding the Cyprus problem. Turkish media noted the call came two days after Fidan’s meeting with Holguín in Ankara. At the same time, Anadolu published an extensive analysis with jabs at the European Union, alleging a lack of neutrality. In another analysis, Anadolu said Guterres is seeking, before the end of his term, to leave his mark on the Cyprus problem, following the failure of the Crans-Montana conference. The report cited information suggesting Holguín is examining a more flexible model than classic federation, with characteristics that could approach a form of confederation, in an attempt to bridge the two sides’ positions. The BBC’s Turkish service, citing Turkish diplomatic sources in Ankara, reported along similar lines that there is so far no official UN plan or written document, but that the ideas Holguín is working on reportedly move towards a “loose federation” model. Hürriyet, in its own report, directly linked developments on the Cyprus problem to Turkish strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean. Realism and UN Security Council resolutions Asked whether Holguín’s comments after her meeting with Fidan allow for optimism, the government spokesperson said Nicosia views positively the fact that Guterres has personally taken on the new initiative since March, investing time and institutional prestige. At the same time, he noted that the government is aware of the difficulties created by Turkey’s stance. “Beyond that, we are realists and we know the many challenges that exist, mainly due to Turkish intransigence,” he said. 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