Trilateral Cyprus talks concluded without substantive result on Wednesday, though UN envoy María Ángela Holguín said she was not disappointed and stressed that progress now depends on the leaders advancing confidence-building measures.
President Christodoulides told reporters at the Presidential Palace after returning from the meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader and Holguín that discussions would continue, adding he was not disappointed.
The president said he submitted a specific proposal covering both substance and confidence-building measures. The five-point plan includes reaffirming the solution basis with political equality as described in UN resolutions and the 11 December communiqué.
He proposed that the United Nations prepare a document of convergences up to Crans-Montana, with internal aspects shared between the two communities and external aspects shared with all five participants. Agreed points would remain in the document.
Based on this document, the Secretary-General would convene an expanded conference where the resumption of talks would be announced, along with the opening of four crossings: Kokkina, Louroujina, Mia Milia and Athienou-Aglantzia, as proposed by the UN at July’s expanded conference.
Christodoulides said he was ready to announce additional unilateral measures for Turkish Cypriots at such a meeting.
The president said he proposed that negotiators arrange a meeting within the next two weeks, and that leaders could meet without Holguín’s presence if she is not in Cyprus.
Asked about the four points submitted by Erhürman, Christodoulides said they were not discussed at the meeting. He said he had repeated his public responses to those points.
On the convergences document, the president showed reporters papers with blue text representing Greek Cypriot positions, red for Turkish Cypriot positions and black for agreed points. He described the document as ready and demonstrating political will.
Regarding the crossings, Christodoulides said Cyprus was ready to open Mia Milia even today. On Athienou-Aglantzia, he said objections exist but he was ready to accept the UN Secretary-General’s proposal from the July conference.
The president said he was ready to make an announcement on Ledra Street today. On the Pyroi routing, he referred to a specific proposal from the Secretary-General made during their July 2025 meeting in New York.
On political equality, Christodoulides said the issue was closed with the 11 December communiqué, describing it as outlined in UN resolutions. He said the problem with the previous Turkish Cypriot leader was that he presented political equality as sovereign equality, “which doesn’t exist anywhere.”
Asked why no joint communiqué was issued, the president said there was no specific reason and that Holguín had summarised the results in her announcement.
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