Turkey’s foreign ministry called for an end to “the Greek Cypriot side’s intransigent stance” after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres concluded his trip to Cyprus on Wednesday.

“We welcome with appreciation the efforts put forth by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the Cyprus issue since the beginning of his tenure,” it said.

It added that “in this period, in which common ground towards a solution between the two sides on the island still does not exist, we believe that focusing on progress in key areas of cooperation under the process launched by Guterres in 2025 will serve to build trust”.

“On the other hand, we once again emphasise that the perspective for a solution will not materialise unless the Greek Cypriot side’s intransigent stance changes, and its actions, which also negatively affect regional security, come to an end,” it said.

It then said that “we would like to once again draw attention to the fact that tried and exhausted solution models from decades past are now behind us”.

“As the motherland and a guarantor state, we reiterate that a fair, comprehensive and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue can be achieved based on the realities on the island, grounded in the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people,” it said.

It added that “as always, we confirm that our support for the Turkish republic of northern Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot people is unwavering”.

Guterres had earlier announced plans for a new enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem to be convened “after adequate progress” is achieved on the matters of confidence-building measures, the meeting’s methodology and the substance of the talks.

He said there is a “consensus” among both sides and the island’s three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, for such a meeting to be held, and also stressed that the UN does not wish for “another enlarged meeting to end without result”.

Additionally, he said that Cypriots “want to see their leaders make compromises and to walk that last mile towards a settlement of the Cyprus issue”, and also want “a future in which this island is defined not by division, but by cooperation, opportunity and peace”.

He closed by stressing that “a solution in Cyprus is crucial, not only for the people of Cyprus themselves, but also as a factor of stability in a region which is becoming increasingly unstable”, before warning that “no solution means that Cyprus is much more vulnerable to a region which is largely in flames”.