UN Secretary‑General Guterres urges Cyprus leaders to seize opportunity window

U.N. Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres released a Goodwill Report on the Cyprus peace process, describing a “window of opportunity” for progress and urging the Greek‑Cypriot and Turkish‑Cypriot leaders to demonstrate the political will needed to restart substantive negotiations. He praised recent intensification of dialogue, called for the full implementation of confidence‑building measures agreed in 2023‑24, and warned that many of those measures – including new crossing points – had not been applied by March and July 2025. Guterres highlighted the importance of European Union support and referred to United Nations Security Council resolutions 550 and 789, stressing that any actions must comply with international law.

The report also noted criticism from Turkish officials who question the existence of any genuine opportunity and point to ongoing security concerns, citing increased military cooperation of the Greek‑Cypriot side with the United States, France, Israel and Greece. Turkish authorities reaffirmed their demand for a bi‑zonal, bi‑communal solution with equal status for the Turkish‑Cypriot community.