Türkiye's foreign minister to take part in informal meeting on Cyprus issue in Geneva

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will participate in an informal meeting on Cyprus with the leaders of the divided island and guarantor powers at the UN Office in Geneva on Sunday, according to Turkish diplomatic resources.

The meeting is expected to discuss views on the Cyprus issue for the upcoming period, and is not meant to be a "continuation of past negotiation processes" or the "beginning of a new negotiation process."

The meeting, to be hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, will be attended by Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar, Greek Cypriot administration leader Nikos Christodoulides, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, and UK's State Minister for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Stephen Doughty.

Fidan had most recently visited the Northern Cyprus on Jan. 8-9, where he was received by Turkish Cypriot President Tatar and Prime Minister Unal Ustel.

In a joint news conference with Turkish Cypriot President Tatar, Fidan highlighted that Türkiye would continue to strengthen its solidarity and cooperation with the Northern Cyprus in all areas.

He said Türkiye also supports a two-state solution on the island, and expressed its readiness to make a constructive contribution to this solution.

Last October, Guterres hosted an informal dinner with Tatar and Christodoulides in New York.

A decision was made to hold an expanded-format informal meeting, hosted by the UN chief, with the two leaders, the foreign ministers of the "motherlands," and lower-level officials from the UK as the third guarantor state.