Leaders of Cyprus’s Two Communities Meet in the Buffer Zone

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides met at the Ledra Palace Hotel, located in the UN-controlled buffer zone in Nicosia. This marked their first meeting since the reappointment of the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy for Cyprus.

The meeting began at 11:00 AM and was attended by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Colin Stewart, along with other UN officials.

Before their talks, both leaders took part in the opening session of the Youth Technical Committee, which was held in the same hotel.

Their discussions focused on issues raised during their informal bilateral meeting on the Cyprus problem in Geneva earlier this year, in March. They also addressed recent comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Northern Cyprus over the past weekend.

As a reminder, late last week UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the reappointment of María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar as his personal envoy for Cyprus. The Colombian diplomat is expected to arrive on the island later this month. She will have about two months to prepare the groundwork for the next stage of negotiations on the Cyprus issue, ahead of a new five-party meeting scheduled to take place in Geneva at the end of July.