Geneva Summit on the Cyprus Issue Begins Today

The informal “5+1” summit on the Cyprus issue, organized by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, kicks off today, March 17, in Geneva. Leaders of both Cypriot communities have already left the island, traveling with their delegations to attend the high-stakes talks.

The Turkish Cypriot leader departed at noon yesterday, accompanied by his delegation, including Special Representative Günes Onar, Legal Advisor Sülen Karabacak, Confidence-Building Measures Coordinator Sennia Birand Çınar, and Special Advisor for International Relations and Diplomacy Hüseyin Işıksal.

Joining them in Geneva are Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu, along with leaders of major political parties from the TRNC.

On the Greek Cypriot side, President Nikos Christodoulides flew to the conference in the afternoon, accompanied by former President Nicos Anastasiades, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna, and members of the National Council.

What to Expect from the Summit

The Geneva summit, scheduled for March 17-18, will be chaired by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The “5+1” format includes representatives from the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities, as well as the three guarantor states of Cyprus: Turkey, Greece, and the United Kingdom.

The UN has outlined a three-phase agenda for the discussions:

• March 17, 19:00 Geneva time (20:00 Cyprus time): António Guterres will host a welcome dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel for both delegations, including Nikos Christodoulides and Ersin Tatar, along with their chief negotiators, Menelaos Menelau and Günes Onar. Before the dinner, the UN Secretary-General will take official photos with each delegation leader. The meal will provide an informal setting for an initial exchange of views on key discussion points.

• March 18, 09:00 Geneva time (10:00 Cyprus time): The UN Secretary-General will hold separate meetings with each delegation at the Intercontinental Hotel, with up to five representatives accompanying each leader.

• March 18, later in the day: The main “5+1” informal summit will take place at the UN Office in Geneva (Palais des Nations), bringing together all stakeholders. The session will open with remarks from António Guterres, followed by statements from each delegation leader.

The summit is set to conclude at 14:30 Geneva time (15:30 Cyprus time).