Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides (R) shakes hands with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Nicosia, Cyprus, July 28, 2026. (Photo by George Christophorou/Xinhua)

NICOSIA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres began a renewed diplomatic effort during a visit to Cyprus on Tuesday to explore prospects for reviving long-stalled peace negotiations on the divided eastern Mediterranean island.

The visit marks Guterres' first trip to Cyprus since taking office as UN secretary-general and the first by a sitting UN chief to the island in 16 years.

Guterres met separately on Tuesday with Cypriot President and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, as well as Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, and reaffirmed his commitment to supporting efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue.

"This visit is a visit of solidarity to the people of Cyprus and to show my strong commitment to make sure that we are able to have, finally, the solution in Cyprus," he said after meeting Christodoulides. He later met Erhurman.

Guterres said the pursuit of a solution "depends, obviously, on the Cypriots themselves," adding that "the guarantor powers also have a role to play," referring to Greece, Türkiye and the United Kingdom under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee.

He is scheduled to hold a joint meeting with the leaders of the two sides on Wednesday before departing Cyprus, according to local media reports.

Cyprus gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960. Under the arrangements governing its independence, Britain, Greece and Türkiye were designated guarantor powers.

In 1974, a coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece prompted a Turkish military intervention, leaving the island divided.

The United Nations has maintained a long-standing peacekeeping force in Cyprus and has repeatedly mediated talks between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.

A UN-led Conference on Cyprus opened in Geneva in January 2017, followed by further negotiations later that year. The talks ended without agreement amid differences over issues including security arrangements and the role of the guarantor powers.

In March 2025, an informal meeting on the Cyprus issue held in Geneva under UN auspices resulted in agreement on a number of confidence-building initiatives aimed at reviving the stalled peace process.