The appointment of European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto as the EU’s Special Envoy for the Cyprus issue reflects the European Union’s increased interest and readiness to play “a leading and more substantive role” in efforts to resume negotiations, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday.
In a written statement, President Christodoulides welcomed “with particular satisfaction” the decision by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to appoint Fitto as the EU’s Special Envoy for the Cyprus issue.
“The choice of a senior official at the highest level of the Commission demonstrates the European Union’s increased interest and its readiness to play a leading and more substantive role in efforts to resume negotiations within the framework of the United Nations, while also adding significant political weight to the joint effort,” he said.
The President said the development was “another tangible result of the consistent strategy” pursued from the outset at the highest European level.
He noted that this strategy was reflected in the European Council conclusions of April 2024 and was further strengthened by a joint letter sent in March 2025 by the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council to the UN Secretary-General.
“A leading role for the EU and the appointment of a European envoy, particularly one holding such a senior position within the Commission, had been strategic objectives of the government from the outset,” President Christodoulides said.
He added that this was “an approach that was met with reservations by some” but is now “recognised as positive and substantive”.
The President also said that, at a time when the UN Secretary-General’s initiative is under way, the European Union has declared its readiness to use the tools at its disposal.
“Progress in EU-Turkey relations is directly linked to progress on the Cyprus issue and can create meaningful incentives for a mutually beneficial way forward,” he stressed.
According to the President, “determination, consistency and the methodical implementation of our strategy”, combined with the UN Secretary-General’s steadfast commitment, have generated new momentum and concrete initiatives.
“We will continue to make use of every opportunity for substantive progress, in the hope that all parties, and Turkey in particular, will demonstrate the same genuine political will,” he said.
Concluding, President Christodoulides thanked the European Commission President “for her decisive role, her genuine interest and the close and ongoing coordination”.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.
