UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Cyprus for his first visit to the country as head of the World Organization, the Cyprus News Agency (KNA) reported, BTA reports.
Guterres held talks with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, after which he stated that the main purpose of his visit is to express solidarity with the people of Cyprus and to reaffirm his commitment to finding a solution to the Cyprus issue.
„This depends on the Cypriots themselves, and the guarantor powers - Turkey, Greece and Britain - will also play their role. But I will do everything I can to support the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots at this very important moment,” the UN Secretary-General said.
As part of his visit, Guterres will also meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman. A dinner with the two leaders is scheduled for later today, and a trilateral meeting will be held tomorrow under the auspices of the UN, after which statements to the media are expected.
The main goal of Guterres’ diplomatic efforts at the end of his mandate is the resumption of negotiations on the future of the island, which were interrupted in 2017.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied the northern part of the island following a coup supported by the Greek junta. The Republic of Cyprus is the internationally recognized state on the island, while only Turkey recognizes the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.