UN Secretary-General Guterres prepares Cyprus settlement plan ahead of 5+1 summit

UN Secretary‑General António Guterres has a Cyprus settlement proposal ready for the next 5+1 meeting expected in late July or early August. The plan aims to move the talks beyond confidence‑building measures toward a strategic agreement, with the EU taking a newly active role. Guterres is in direct contact with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit is being considered.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides briefed Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias on the latest developments, including statements from the Turkish presidency and the Turkish‑Cypriot side. The discussion also covered broader regional security, the concept of a single defence space, and EU‑wide defence cooperation, underscoring the intertwined diplomatic and security dimensions of the Cyprus issue.