UN chief’s Cyprus visit shows world backs solution, not status quo, government says

Politics Cyprus problemTop Newsun UN chief’s Cyprus visit shows world backs solution, not status quo, government says %22interesting First Discussion%22 On Cyprus, Says President Christodoulides After Guterres Dinner newsroom 17/07/2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the international community is investing in the prospect of a Cyprus problem solution, not the status quo, in a statement to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) ahead of the UN Secretary-General’s visit to the island, his first in 16 years. The visit would offer an important opportunity to assess the progress of the Secretary-General’s initiative so far, Letymbiotis said, adding that the Cypriot side awaits with interest the direction he sets for the next steps in the process. The growing momentum around the issue creates the conditions for progress, he said, but it also puts the responsibility on all parties involved to respond to that prospect. The spokesperson described the visit as a particularly significant development, both in the substance of the contacts involved and in its political symbolism. It confirms, he said, that the initiative the Secretary-General personally took on remains active, is evolving, and is maintaining its momentum. The visit forms part of a broader and continuously strengthening international mobilisation around the Cyprus problem, Letymbiotis said. He pointed to the Secretary-General’s initiative, more active EU involvement, the appointment of a European Commission envoy for the Cyprus problem, and the clear link now being drawn between progress in EU-Turkey relations and the Cyprus problem, saying these together form a new political environment. President Nikos Christodoulides’s own initiatives, aimed at securing more active EU involvement, using EU-Turkey relations as a catalyst for progress, and keeping the Cyprus problem high on the international agenda, had been decisive in shaping that environment, he added. Two major international pillars, the UN and the EU, are being activated in parallel, Letymbiotis said, working in a complementary way toward creating the conditions for progress. He described this as no coincidence, but the result of sustained diplomatic effort, continuous contacts and a consistent strategy aimed at mobilising every available international and European lever toward a solution. The Republic of Cyprus remains firmly committed to preserving the negotiating acquis, international law, and the UN-agreed framework for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined in relevant Security Council resolutions, the spokesperson said. Cyprus is working consistently and credibly, he added, to ensure that the next expanded conference serves as a substantive springboard for resuming negotiations from where they were interrupted. The current circumstances make it even clearer that progress on the Cyprus problem and progress in EU-Turkey relations rest on the same foundational principles, Letymbiotis said: respect for international law, UN decisions, and the obligations that follow from them. “The international community is investing in the prospect of a solution, not the status quo,” he said. Cyprus has demonstrated its will and readiness through concrete actions, Letymbiotis said, and the coming period will show whether all sides choose to align with the collective international effort and the agreed framework. He said Cyprus would continue working with consistency, credibility and genuine political will so that the current momentum translates into substantive progress toward the liberation and reunification of the country. View this post on Instagram A post shared by en.philenews (@en.philenews) Read more: Real EU engagement in the Cyprus problem Subscribe to our Newsletter Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world. Latest News Government confirms Agriculture Minister Panayiotou to leave Cabinet in upcoming reshuffle Police hunt man after G3 rifle and Kalashnikov-style weapon found in grandmother’s Oroklini home China’s Moonshot unveils world’s largest open AI model, closing in on US rivals Polish president vetoes bills that would have improved rights of same-sex couples Protest in Bnei Brak against the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the Israeli army Things to do on Friday, July 17 Who were the Sea Peoples? The real history behind Nolan’s The Odyssey, and Cyprus’s place in it