Letymbiotis says informal meeting could revive Cyprus negotiations

Politics Antonio GuterresCyprus problemNikos ChristodoulidesTop NewsunUnited Nations Letymbiotis says informal meeting could revive Cyprus negotiations 858f4239f642a5ba45d63d30c99f8b9c Relevant News Letymbiotis says informal meeting could revive Cyprus negotiations 28 July 2026 UN Secretary General Guterres visits Cyprus 28 July 2026 On this day: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia after Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination, in 1914 28 July 2026 Newsroom 28 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Cyprus is working towards convening an informal exploratory meeting that would serve as the springboard for resuming Cyprus problem negotiations, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday, after President Nikos Christodoulides held an expanded meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the Presidential Palace. Letymbiotis said the talks had been substantial and sincere. “We welcome the Secretary-General’s political commitment to resuming talks on resolving the Cyprus problem,” he said, adding that the aim is to pick up negotiations from where they stopped at Crans-Montana. Speaking briefly after the meeting concluded, Guterres said there was strong commitment to resolving the Cyprus problem and that he would do everything in his power to advance the process. The expanded meeting began at 10:15am. Christodoulides was joined by Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna, negotiator Menelaos Menelaou, Letymbiotis, Director of the President’s Diplomatic Office Doros Venezis, and Cyprus’s Permanent Representative to the UN Maria Michael. Guterres was accompanied by Deputy Secretaries-General Rosemary DiCarlo and Jean-Pierre Lacroix, his personal envoy María Ángela Holguín, and UNFICYP Head Khassim Diagne. Christodoulides and Guterres then held a one-on-one meeting. Currently, Guterres meeting Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman in the occupied north. The visit follows Guterres’s arrival in Cyprus, where he told Christodoulides that regional turmoil and shifting geopolitics make this the moment to resolve the Cyprus problem, warning the island could otherwise be swept into unwanted developments. It also follows Sunday’s meeting between Christodoulides and Holguín, at which Letymbiotis described the visit as the springboard for an eventual expanded meeting. Later on Tuesday, Guterres is scheduled to lay a wreath at the Peacekeepers’ Monument outside the Ledra Palace, visit the Committee on Missing Persons workshop, and hold further meetings with negotiators, heads of the technical committees and civil society representatives, before a private dinner with both leaders. He will hold a joint meeting with Christodoulides and Erhürman on Wednesday morning, followed by a press conference ahead of his departure. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News UN Secretary General Guterres visits Cyprus On this day: Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia after Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination, in 1914 Eni to develop Cyprus’s Cronos gas field, targets first output in 2028 Guterres says “I will do everything in my power” for Cyprus problem Guterres meets Christodoulides, pledges support for lasting settlement Larnaca fire burned 120 hectares, not 20 as first estimated, Forest Department says National Guard’s Kalo Chorio firing range faces second munitions mishap in months, as fire safety measures fail to stop blaze Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.