Greek Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides, (L) and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman (R) meet with the Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General?on Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin in the U.N. buffer zone dividing the island's capital Nicosia on Dec. 11, 2025.
The United Nations’ chief envoy tasked with resolving Cyprus’ decades-long division has expressed cautious optimism about making progress, yet warned that it would be too soon to organize a multi-country summit on the issue.
Speaking to Greek Cyprus’ Phileleftheros newspaper, Envoy Maria Angela Holguin said she felt encouraged following her Dec. 11 meetings with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman.
She described the talks as “profound, sincere and very direct,” noting that both sides had agreed to prioritize confidence-building measures.
“Although the discussions are promising, the dialogue between the two leaders is still in its initial stages. Further steps are required to consolidate the early momentum and foster genuine trust, which would make it possible for the Secretary-General to host a 5+1 informal meeting,” Holguin said.
The proposed 5+1 meeting would bring together the two Cypriot communities along with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and representatives from Britain, Türkiye and Greece to chart a path forward and end a seven-year deadlock in peace negotiations.
These three NATO countries act as guarantor powers on the issue. A joint administration shared between Greek and Turkish Cypriots collapsed in 1963 and Türkiye launched an operation in the northern part of the island in 1974 following a military-backed coup in Greece. Since then, the island has remained divided along ethnic lines.
While Ankara supports a two-state solution for Cyprus, diverging from newly-elected President Erhürman’s stated position, the new Turkish Cypriot leader expressed willingness to cooperate with Türkiye.
