Speaking at a news conference in New York on Friday, Guterres said his recent visit to Cyprus reinforced the urgency of finding a solution as instability continues to grow across the region.
“My visit to Cyprus showed that in a rapidly changing and increasingly volatile region, the search for solutions is more urgent than ever,” he said.
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The UN chief said the new meeting would take place only after extensive preparations covering confidence-building measures, negotiation methodology and the substance of the talks, while taking into account areas of agreement reached in previous negotiations.
According to Guterres, the United Nations will work closely with both sides on the island as well as the guarantor countries to create the conditions needed for productive negotiations.
Explaining why he is insisting on stronger preparation, Guterres said previous 5+1 meetings had failed to produce results because they were not sufficiently planned.
“This time we need to prepare well the next meeting in order to make sure that it leads to a solution,” he said.
Cyprus has remained divided for decades between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots despite repeated UN-led efforts to broker a comprehensive settlement. The planned talks represent the latest attempt to revive the long-stalled peace process amid heightened regional uncertainty.
