Cyprus leaders increase contact as US disrupts Chinese cyberattacks

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erçurman met under United Nations auspices to discuss the Cyprus dispute. During a nearly three-hour meeting at the UN Protected Area near Nicosia airport, the leaders agreed to intensify contacts by meeting on a weekly basis to maintain momentum for the peace process. Discussions focused on the 'road ahead' established during UN Secretary-General António Guterres's recent visit, as well as methodology for potential negotiations and the preservation of negotiating achievements.

Separately, United States authorities announced the disruption of a Chinese cyberattack operation targeting sensitive government agencies. The US Department of Justice seized domains used by hacking platforms 'QScan' and 'QTRouter,' which were allegedly linked to the Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Technology Company. According to US officials, these operations targeted NASA, the Federal Reserve, the US Senate, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Energy, among others. The US claims the infrastructure has been used since 2018 to breach critical networks, involving actors linked to Chinese intelligence and the military, though Beijing consistently denies involvement in such activities.