Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis will be in New York to discuss Greece’s participation in the UN Security Council and meet with counterparts from other countries also running for non-permanent member state seats. Greece is seeking its third membership in the security council for the period 2025-2026.
President Nikos Christodoulides reiterated that the government’s sole goal is the liberation and reunification of Cyprus based on UN resolutions.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis stated that the state’s main concern is the resolution of the Cyprus problem. He mentioned that the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy for the Cyprus problem, Maria Angel Holguin, will have a one-to-one meeting with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss efforts to resume talks. Letymbiotis emphasized the commitment to the resumption of talks based on a bizonal bicommunal federation with political equality. The timeline for Holguin’s efforts is decided by the UN Secretary General, and Letymbiotis expressed that they will not allow a ‘gravestone’ to be placed on the Cyprus problem.
– Cypriots have “no other choice” but to attempt to overturn the divided island’s status quo.
– The current state of affairs in Cyprus “cannot be the future of our homeland.”
– President Nikos Christodoulides emphasized the need for a solution to the Cyprus problem based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with European principles and values as its foundation.
– The government is encouraging the efforts of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his recently departed envoy on the island Maria Angela Holguin.
– The pain on the faces of people affected by the events of 1974 is recorded in the photographs on display at the exhibition.
– The events of 1974, including the Turkish invasion and destruction, are described as an “unspeakable tragedy.”
The fact described in the text is that the monument ‘In The Service of Peace’ in Cyprus honors 150,000 uniformed personnel who have served in Cyprus, 187 of whom have died there.
UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Maria Holguin, is set to brief Antonio Guterres on the Cyprus issue, probably in the first half of June. President Nikos Christodoulides reiterated that the Greek Cypriot side is ready for dialogue. There has been no response from the Turkish Cypriot side so far. The most recent contact with the Turkish side was after a meeting between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Christodoulides stated that if there is a genuine interest in the resumption of talks, he should not say more, especially in public.
Fact: Seven chief heat officers, all women, are working in cities like Miami, Melbourne, Dhaka, Freetown, and Athens to cool urban heat traps and prevent deaths caused by extreme heatwaves.
UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, left Cyprus after meeting with the leaders, including Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, with no progress made. Tatar rejected Holguin’s proposal for a meeting with her and President Nikos Christodoulides, citing the Turkish Cypriot side’s position on sovereign equality and equal international status. Holguin will report to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will decide the next steps in the peace talks. Christodoulides’ failure to persuade Tatar to agree to a meeting raises questions about the purpose of the failed initiative and the blame game surrounding the deadlock.
The fact described in the text is that UNSG envoy Maria Angela Holguin and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar both publicly expressed grievances against each other, with Tatar refusing to agree to a trilateral meeting and criticizing Holguin’s approach to the Cyprus problem.
Colin Stewart briefed Italian MP Piero Fassino on peacebuilding efforts in Cyprus.