Geneva summit on Cyprus settlement begins under UN mediation

A two-day summit on resolving the Cyprus issue, with the participation of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, is set to begin on March 17 in Geneva under UN auspices.

The forum seeks to encourage the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides to resume negotiations, which have been stalled since 2017, Caliber.Az reports, referring to foreign media sources.

The summit will follow the “five plus one” format, involving not only the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities but also representatives from the Foreign Ministries of the three guarantor powers — Greece, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom — alongside the UN leadership. This format was last used during the previous Cyprus summit in Geneva in April 2021, which ended without any breakthroughs.

Alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the summit will be attended by Republic of Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulidis, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and British Deputy Foreign Minister Stephen Doughty, who oversees European, North American, and overseas territories.

Additionally, a delegation from the European Union has been invited to participate as an observer.

The first event of the summit will be an informal dinner at the Le Woods restaurant in the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva at 19:00 CET on March 17. Heads of delegations will attend with one accompanying person each. The UN has emphasized that all participants will have “the opportunity to have their picture taken” with Guterres.

The main working session of the summit will take place on Tuesday, March 18. From 9:00 a.m., Guterres will hold bilateral meetings with each delegation. The formal “five plus one” session is scheduled to commence at 11:30 a.m. at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, where Guterres and the delegation heads will deliver opening statements. The summit is expected to last three hours, concluding at 2:30 p.m.

Ahead of the Geneva meeting, President Nikos Christodoulidis reiterated his position that negotiations should resume from where they were left off at the 2017 Crans-Montana summit. He has also reaffirmed his commitment to discussing the island’s future within the framework outlined in UN Security Council resolutions on Cyprus.

On the other hand, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar insists that formal talks can only proceed if the Greek Cypriot side acknowledges the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriots and grants both communities equal international status.

Despite their differences, both leaders have pledged to take a constructive approach to resolving the longstanding division of the island at the Geneva summit.

By Tamilla Hasanova