From UN headquarters, Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that António Guterres will set foot on Cypriot soil on the 27th of this month.

“As part of his duties and his strong, proven commitment to the Cyprus issue, the Secretary-General will travel to Cyprus from July 27 to 29 to discuss efforts to advance the peace process and support stability on the island.” ^{Stéphane Dujarric}

The Presidential Office is treating this visit not merely as a ceremonial event but as a substantive one, placing equal emphasis on both the separate and joint meetings between the Secretary-General and the two leaders.

The UN Secretary-General hopes to secure at least some progress on the Cyprus issue during his visit. Not confidence-building measures, but something far more substantial that will pave the way for formal talks. According to ALPHA sources, the two sides, along with UN officials in Cyprus, have been asked for days to work on identifying common ground and areas of disagreement.

“Movement for the sake of movement cannot satisfy us; nor is the resumption of talks the goal, but rather the resolution of the Cyprus issue.” ^{Konstantinos Letympiotis, Government Spokesperson}

The President of the Republic will convene a meeting of party leaders in the middle of next week to brief them on what has been happening behind the scenes.

Behind the closed doors of the Security Council, Hashim Dian briefed members on the Cyprus issue and the Secretary-General’s reports last night. The Head of UNFICYP maintained a policy of neutrality, emphasizing efforts to resume the dialogue. Pakistan and Somalia raised the issue of the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots.

The Role of the EU

María Ángela Olguín is expected in Cyprus shortly before Guterres’s visit to lay the groundwork. She will continue her meetings in Brussels and will meet immediately with the Commission’s new envoy, Raffaele Fito, who is scheduled to visit Cyprus in the near future. The UN and European Union institutions are in close contact, particularly the President of the European Council and the Secretary-General.

“Mr. Costa, like the UN Secretary-General, is Portuguese; both served as very close associates in Mr. Guterres’s government, so there is cooperation at the personal level and not just between institutions.”

In Turkey, officials are keeping their distance from Guterres’s visit to Cyprus, with the general sentiment leaving a window open for António Guterres to take action from Nicosia. There is talk of this being the Secretary-General’s last chance for a solution to the Cyprus issue. (PHOTO: HURRIET)

New Rant

The Turkish presidency is taking on the Greek Cypriot side and the EU, reiterating the narrative of a two-state solution.

“The EU is adopting one-sided rhetoric and ignoring both international law and historical realities.” ^{Turkish Presidency}

Meanwhile, Ankara continues its public relations campaign. In a new post, the Ministry of Defense released a video referring to the EOKA’s inhumane massacres of Turkish Cypriots.

Some stood by our side as martyrs. Some managed to escape; some died. The Greeks seized all our homes. They looted our homes.

Watch Evangelos Agapios’s report