(Commonwealth_Europe) Switzerland‘s Geneva is once again preparing to host important, expanded informal talks aimed at resolving the long-standing Cyprus issue. These talks, scheduled to take place on March 17-18, will bring together key stakeholders from both sides of the divided island, as well as the guarantor nations. The United Nations, under the leadership of Secretary-General António Guterres, will be overseeing the proceedings.
The discussions will involve representatives from both Cypriot communities: the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots. Additionally, the guarantor nations—Turkey, Greece, and the United Kingdom—will participate in the meetings. The Turkish delegation will be led by Ersin Tatar, the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), along with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. On the Greek Cypriot side, the leaders will include Nikos Christodoulides, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, and Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis. The UK will be represented by Stephen Doughty, the Minister of State for Europe and North America.
The diplomatic engagement will begin with a dinner hosted by Secretary-General Guterres at 9 p.m. local time on Monday, March 17. The leaders of the delegations will be accompanied by one representative each, and before the dinner, Guterres will take separate photos with each delegation head, a symbolic gesture of the ongoing diplomatic process. The following morning, on March 18, Guterres will hold individual meetings with each delegation before the expanded format talks begin at 1:30 p.m. at the U.N. Office in Geneva. During these talks, each delegation head will be allowed to bring up to five representatives.
The meeting will commence with remarks from Guterres, followed by statements from each delegation head. Following this, a “family photo” will be taken to symbolize the diplomatic nature of the discussions. The formal talks are expected to wrap up by 4:30 p.m., after which President Tatar will hold a press conference at the U.N. Geneva Office. However, Guterres is not expected to brief the press at this time.
The Cyprus issue remains one of the most complex and intractable conflicts in the world. A major obstacle to any formal negotiation is the lack of common ground between the opposing sides. Since Tatar’s election as President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in October 2020, the Turkish side has been consistent in advocating for a solution based on sovereign equality and cooperation between two states. This approach calls for a framework in which both the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots are treated as equal partners in any potential solution.
The Turkish side, led by both Tatar and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has emphasized that any meaningful and lasting negotiation can only take place once the international community formally recognizes the Turkish Cypriots’ sovereign equality and their equal international status. This has been a cornerstone of the Turkish position in all international discussions, including with the United Nations.
On the other hand, Greek Cypriot officials remain committed to the idea of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation, which envisions a federal structure composed of two constituent states. Despite this model having been rejected multiple times by the Turkish side in past negotiations, Greek Cypriot leaders stated that this is the path to follow. They also advocate for resuming talks based on the framework established in the Crans-Montana negotiations of 2017, which ultimately failed to produce a breakthrough.
In addition to the core issues of governance and political equality, the upcoming talks will also address practical matters that could improve daily life on the island. One area of focus will be cooperation between the two sides in areas such as energy, water, and border crossings. These pragmatic issues are considered potential starting points for building trust and fostering cooperation, which could eventually create the conditions for a more comprehensive political solution.
At the last informal 5+1 format talks held in Geneva in April 2021, President Tatar presented a six-point proposal for a permanent solution. The proposal responded to Secretary-General Guterres’ call for “creative ideas” and emphasized the importance of the U.N. Security Council adopting a resolution guaranteeing equal international status and sovereign equality for both Turkish and Greek Cypriots. However, the Greek Cypriot side rejected this proposal, instead pushing for the resumption of negotiations based on the failed Crans-Montana model.
In a press conference on March 14, President Tatar stated that the Turkish Cypriot side would not be isolated during the Geneva talks. He emphasized that the Turkish Cypriots would be represented alongside Turkey, signaling their commitment to a new approach in negotiations.
The Geneva talks represent another important moment in the ongoing Cyprus dispute, where differing views on the future of the island will be debated once again. The outcomes of this latest round of talks may provide insight into whether there is any possibility of moving beyond decades of deadlock and toward a solution that acknowledges the realities on the ground. Whether these talks will lead to any tangible progress or merely reinforce the existing divisions remains to be seen.
