President Nikos Christodoulides on Sunday stressed the need for all chapters of the Cyprus negotiation framework to be discussed together, rejecting the selective approach of addressing individual issues.

Following the presentation of Cyprus’ program ahead of its Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026, Christodoulides toured Lefkara and met with a group of Turkish Cypriots, sending the message: “Let us restart negotiations and discuss all issues.”

The President described the current status quo on the island as unsustainable and not a solution, calling for an immediate resumption of talks from the point they stalled at Crans-Montana in 2017, aiming for a comprehensive settlement based on UN Security Council resolutions. “I truly believe and hope — and from my side I will do all I can — that we restart negotiations from where we left off in 2017,” he said.

Christodoulides dismissed the idea of discussing issues in isolation, particularly regarding the rotating presidency, a key element of political equality. He clarified that the rotating presidency is just one of the six major negotiation chapters, which also include security and guarantees, territorial issues, and property matters. “We cannot pick one chapter to discuss alone. Let’s discuss all chapters together,” he emphasized, referencing the Guterres framework.

The President reiterated that his goal is a solution based on UN Security Council resolutions, specifically a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality. He stressed that he will not impose conditions on the Turkish Cypriot community or Turkey, nor accept conditions on the Greek Cypriot side. “The only way forward is to sit at the table and discuss,” he said, calling for an end to public posturing.

Regarding Turkish Cypriot engagement with the European Union, Christodoulides expressed support for the ad hoc committee on the acquis communautaire, linking its activation to the overall resumption of Cyprus talks. He also highlighted the participation of Turkish Cypriots in the national effort ahead of Cyprus’ EU Presidency, both on the island and in Brussels, as a sign of inclusion.

Responding to concerns over the “militarisation” of the Republic of Cyprus, the President rejected such claims, noting that the only militarisation comes from the Turkish army’s presence since 1974. He underlined that Cyprus is pursuing a “positive agenda” with regional partners, not acting against Turkey, and expressed the hope that similar agreements can be reached with Turkey following a settlement.

Christodoulides reiterated that his top priority remains restarting negotiations, expressing confidence that a “win-win” solution is achievable if there is “clear political will” from all sides, including Turkey. He also mentioned the possibility of joint meetings with newly elected Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhürman, while stressing that the resumption of talks remains the most urgent priority.