UN weighs new peace initiative as Guterres heads to Cyprus
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to make a landmark visit to the divided island of Cyprus on July 27, as diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations on the island’s decades-old division gather pace.
The visit, scheduled for July 27–29, will be the first by a sitting U.N. secretary-general to the island in 16 and a half years. The last serving U.N. chief to visit Cyprus was Ban Ki-moon, who traveled there in early 2010.
During his trip, Guterres is expected to hold separate meetings with Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman and Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides before bringing the two leaders together for a joint meeting, according to several media reports.
He is also expected to meet members of the island’s bicommunal technical committees as well as representatives of civil society organizations.
