Cyprus peace talks set to resume in Geneva under UN auspices

Switzerland’s Geneva will once again host expanded informal talks on the Cyprus issue, bringing together key stakeholders in the decades-old dispute.

The meetings, scheduled for March 17-18 under the auspices of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, will include representatives from both Cypriot communities as well as guarantor nations: Türkiye, Greece, and the United Kingdom.

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will represent the Turkish side. Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, Greek Foreign Minister Yorgo Gerapetritis, and U.K. Minister of State for Europe and North America Stephen Doughty will also participate.

The diplomatic engagement begins with a dinner hosted by Guterres at 9 p.m. local time on Monday, where delegation heads will be accompanied by one person each. Prior to the dinner, the secretary-general will take separate photos with each delegation leader.

On the second day, Guterres will meet individually with delegations in the morning, after which the expanded format meeting on Cyprus will commence at 1:30 p.m. at the U.N. Geneva Office with all parties present. Delegation heads may bring five people to these meetings.

The session will open with remarks from Guterres, followed by statements from each delegation head. A “family photo” will be taken before the meeting, which is expected to conclude by 4:30 p.m. Afterward, President Tatar will hold a press conference at the U.N. Geneva Office. The secretary-general is not expected to brief the press.

Fundamental differences persist

The lack of common ground between the parties remains a significant obstacle to formal negotiations. Since Tatar’s election as TRNC President in October 2020, the Turkish side has advocated for a “solution based on sovereign equality and cooperation between two states in Cyprus.”

The Turkish position emphasizes that formal negotiations toward a fair, lasting, and sustainable solution can only begin after the international community recognizes Turkish Cypriots’ sovereign equality and equal international status.

This position has been consistently communicated by both Tatar and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to all international counterparts, including the U.N.

Meanwhile, Greek Cypriot officials insist on pursuing the previously negotiated model of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with two constituent states, despite having rejected this solution model multiple times in past negotiations, despite what the Turkish side describes as its goodwill and positive approach.

The upcoming talks are also expected to address practical cooperation matters that could ease daily life on the island.

Previous proposals and positioning

During the last informal 5+1 format Cyprus talks held in Geneva from April 27-29, 2021, President Tatar presented Secretary-General Guterres with a six-point proposal for a permanent solution in Cyprus, responding to the Secretary-General’s call for “creative ideas” mentioned in his invitation letter.

The first point called for the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution guaranteeing equal international status and sovereign equality for Turkish and Greek Cypriots. However, the Greek Cypriot side rejected this new proposal, instead calling for negotiations to resume where they left off at the failed Crans Montana talks in 2017. Consequently, negotiations ended without finding common ground.

TRNC to reiterate 2-state solution

At a press conference in Nicosia on March 14, President Tatar announced he would attend the Geneva talks with Foreign Minister Fidan, emphasizing that the Turkish Cypriot people would not be alone at the table but would be there “with motherland Türkiye.”

Tatar stated that after abandoning federal politics, negotiations could begin once equal status is confirmed under the new approach. He emphasized their clarity on cooperation between the two states in Cyprus, expressing readiness to collaborate on energy, water, and border crossing issues.

Rather than revisiting problems that have remained unsolved for nearly 60 years, Tatar underscored the need to grant rights to Turkish Cypriots, including direct flights and trade opportunities. He suggested that negotiations between the two sides could proceed under a win-win formula.

“There is no justification for condemning our people to live under isolation,” Tatar said. “For over 60 years, the Turkish Cypriot people have been deprived of basic human rights despite being faultless. It’s time to end this. We are going to Geneva to discuss the future of the island.”

He emphasized that two states have now become entrenched in Cyprus, and no one has the right to drag them into new adventures.