Civil Society Groups Urge UN Chief to Restart Substantive Cyprus Negotiations

The Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Center (CPDC) and Determination for Peace issued a joint letter expressing deep concern over the lack of substantive progress following the informal Geneva meeting on 17-18 March 2025.

The organisations welcomed the decision to hold the next meeting in late July and the reappointment of Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar as Personal Envoy to the UN Secretary-General, but stressed the urgent need to move beyond symbolic gestures.

Call for structured approach

The letter urges Guterres to press both leaders to restart negotiations based on existing work, including all convergences achieved up to Crans-Montana and the six-point framework submitted to leaders on 30 June 2017.

The groups propose negotiations should proceed “in a phased, meaningful and results oriented manner with a mechanism agreed by the parties for resolving possible impasses, leading to a comprehensive settlement within a specified period of time”.

They emphasised ensuring “the unacceptable status quo would not be among possible outcomes” whilst making consequences of new failure clear to both sides.

Confidence-building measures

The letter highlights potential benefits of confidence-building measures agreed in Geneva, particularly opening four new crossing points between the divided island’s two sides.

The organisations call for “immediate progress” on crossing points that are ready to open, decoupling them from others requiring additional preparation.

Time pressure

The groups warn that prolonging the status quo makes finding solutions increasingly difficult as generations who experienced coexistence are “tragically leaving”.

“Time, therefore, is of the essence,” the letter states, calling for bold steps towards resolution benefiting Cypriots, concerned parties, the European Union and United Nations.

The letter was signed by Dr Meltem Onurkan Samani, CPDC coordinator, and Nicos Mesaritis, Determination for Peace coordinator. Copies were sent to Holguin Cuellar and Colin Stewart, UN Special Representative and UNFICYP head.