UN Chief Holds Dialogue Between Cyprus Conflict Parties

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) GENEVA, March 18 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday launched an informal meeting on the Cyprus conflict bringing together the leaders of both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots along with representatives from the three guarantor states; Greece Turkiye and the UK.
The meeting started on Monday with an informal dinner between the parties and started Tuesday in Geneva, chaired by the UN secretary General and attended by Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar as well as representatives from the guarantor states; Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and UK Minister of State for Europe North America and Overseas Territories Stephen Doughty.
Previously, the Secretary-General noted that this expanded meeting was in line with his ongoing efforts to resolve the Cyprus conflict and his commitment since the 15th of October 2024.
He explained that the meeting aims to provide a platform for constructive discussions in resolving the long-standing dispute.
The Cyprus dispute has persisted for over fifty years between the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus, a UN and EU member and the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which unilaterally declared its independence in 1983, a move recognized only by Turkiye.
As in the previous dialogue held in the Cyprus conflict, it is expected that the parties will not reach an agreement in this dialogue about international recognition and the constitutional and political sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. (end)
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