Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 20, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleCyprus leaders agree to meet with the UN to revive peace talks. The meeting in Nicosia marks a step towards reunification efforts.
(Reuters) -The rival leaders of ethnically split Cyprus said they were ready to meet the United Nations Secretary-General to discuss the potential for relaunching long-stalled peace talks, the U.N. mission on the island said on Thursday.
Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman met on Thursday, in their first encounter since Erhurman, a centre-left moderate, won by a landslide in an October presidential election in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, pledging to work to revive stalled U.N. talks on reunifying Cyprus.
"(The leaders) expressed their readiness to work towards the next informal meeting in a broader format to be convened by the U.N. Secretary General," a spokesperson for the U.N. mission said after hosting a meeting between the two leaders in no-man's land dividing Cyprus's split capital Nicosia.
They also agreed to explore the possibility of further meetings, the spokesperson said. A U.N. envoy would be visiting Cyprus in early December, he said.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup, with seeds of division sown at least a decade earlier when a power-sharing administration fell apart, prompting the dispatch of the U.N. peacekeeping force.
The last round of talks between the two sides collapsed in 2017, with efforts to revive them at a stalemate since.
(Reporting by Michele Kambas; Editing by Alex Richardson)
The United Nations plays a crucial role in facilitating peace negotiations by providing a neutral platform for dialogue, offering mediation services, and supporting the implementation of peace agreements through various missions and resources.
The Turkish Cypriot state refers to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Turkey. It was established following the division of Cyprus in 1974 due to ethnic conflict.
A Greek Cypriot is a member of the Greek-speaking community of Cyprus, which constitutes the majority population on the island. They primarily identify with Greek culture and heritage.
A U.N. envoy is a representative appointed by the United Nations to facilitate dialogue and negotiations in conflict situations, often tasked with promoting peace and stability in specific regions.
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