Ersin Tatar and Nikos Christodoulides Meet at the UN New Year Reception

The leader of the Turkish Cypriots, Ersin Tatar, and the head of the Greek Cypriot administration, Nikos Christodoulides, met at the traditional New Year reception organized by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus and the head of the Peacekeeping Mission, Colin Stewart.

The meeting took place the evening before at the Ledra Palace Hotel in the buffer zone. Tatar attended the event with his wife, Sibel Tatar, and was greeted at the entrance by Colin Stewart. After Tatar's arrival, the two leaders of the communities had a brief conversation with the head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission. The conversation lasted approximately 15 minutes.

In addition to civil and military protocol representatives from both parts of Cyprus, the reception was attended by political party representatives, religious leaders, mission heads, attaches, representatives of various NGOs, and other guests. Upon arrival, attendees were given a pin to mark Human Rights Day.

In his opening remarks, Colin Stewart noted that the traditional end-of-year reception, held under the auspices of the UN's good offices in Cyprus, provided a valuable opportunity to bring the two leaders and their teams together in a festive atmosphere. He emphasized that it was a chance to reflect on the progress made over the past year toward a better future for Cyprus.

The UN Secretary-General’s representative also mentioned that the opening of new crossing points would benefit residents on both sides of the island. This initiative would strengthen interdependence, create a positive environment for resolution, and offer a positive momentum for the next steps.

“Political will is all that is needed for an agreement on crossing points,” he stressed.

Colin Stewart also revealed that preparations for an informal meeting, involving the leaders of both communities and the guarantor powers under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, are already underway at the UN headquarters.

This was the first conversation between the two community leaders on the island since their informal trilateral dinner with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in mid-October in New York.