President Nikos Christodoulides, held a meeting on Monday with United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the Ocean Conference in Nice, France.

The two leaders discussed recent developments ahead of an upcoming expanded conference on the Cyprus issue, to be held under UN auspices in New York. Both Christodoulides and Guterres expressed a shared determination to ensure the success of the new conference. Their joint efforts aim at restarting substantive negotiations to resolve the long-standing Cyprus dispute.

During the meeting, Guterres also briefed the president on the latest contacts made by his personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, in Turkey.

The talks come at a critical time as international efforts intensify to find a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, which has remained unresolved for decades.

The planned conference is expected to bring together key stakeholders with a view to advancing peace talks. No further details were disclosed following the discussion.