President Tufan Erhürman holds a press conference following his meeting with Khassim Diagne, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
“We will remain in constant contact”
Photos
“We will support the work of the technical committees with a results-oriented approach”
President Tufan Erhürman has met with Khassim Diagne, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, and his accompanying delegation, at the Presidency.
President Erhürman was accompanied by Mehmet Dânâ, Undersecretary of the Presidency, and Seniha Birand Çınar, Confidence Building Measures and Bilateral Technical Committees Coordinator.
President Erhürman held a press conference following the conclusion of the meeting, that had started at 11am, where he said: “Mr. Diagne paid a courtesy visit today. It was an introductory and congratulatory meeting, where we wished each other success in our new positions. I expressed my confidence to Mr. Diagne that he will remain impartial during his term in office, and I made use of the opportunity to put forward my views with regards to the working of the technical committees. As it is known, there are 13 technical committees operating on both sides, and I have stated that we will be supporting them in their intensive and voluntary work, with a results-oriented approach. A lot of time and effort is devoted to the working of these technical committees, and we, therefore, wish to see tangible results.”
Explaining that the technical committees are designed to build trust and improve the daily lives of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, President Erhürman said that the Presidency will provide “full support to resolve any issues the committees may face”.
Stating that he has reached a mutual understanding with Mr Diagne to maintain constant contact and to support the committees’ work with a results-oriented approach, President Erhürman added: “We are in agreement on maintaining direct contact regarding potential problems we may face, even if we do not wish for them to occur in the first place.”
President Erhürman said that this first meeting took place in a positive atmosphere, and he thanked Mr Diagne for his visit.
The President also answered questions from the press about when he would meet with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín.
Recalling that he had a telephone conversation with Mr Christodoulides, President Erhürman said: “We have agreed to hold a meeting in the coming weeks that will not include the UN but will involve representatives from both sides. We have not yet set the date and time for this meeting. We are also in contact with Ms. Holguin. Unless something unforeseen occurs, we will meet with Ms. Holguin on December 5.”
Diagne: “I offer my congratulations to His Excellency, Mr Erhürman, for the assumption of his duties”
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Khassim Diagne, made a statement to the press following his meeting with President Tufan Erhürman.
Mr. Diagne expressed his pleasure at having held his first meeting with President Erhürman, adding: “I seized the opportunity following the UN Secretary-General’s letter [to President Erhürman] dated 27 October 2025, to offer my congratulations for the assumption of his duties as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.”
“As the Secretary-General has said, we wish him well. Also, we conveyed the Secretary-General’s commitment to work to the well-being and security of all Cyprus in order to secure a peaceful resolution and sustainable solution of the Cyprus issue,” Mr. Diagne said.
Mr. Diagne added that “as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the entire UNFICYP, I assured His Excellency that we will do everything possible to work towards the achievement of that goal”.
Stating that his meeting with President Erhürman was a courtesy call, Mr. Diagne said that he listened to the views of the President, as he had done so in his meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides, a few days earlier.
“I now look forward to working with both leaders constructively,” Mr. Diagne said.
President Tufan Erhürman has met with Khassim Diagne, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, and his accompanying delegation, at the Presidency.
President Erhürman was accompanied by Mehmet Dânâ, Undersecretary of the Presidency, and Seniha Birand Çınar, Confidence Building Measures and Bilateral Technical Committees Coordinator.
President Erhürman held a press conference following the conclusion of the meeting, that had started at 11am, where he said: “Mr. Diagne paid a courtesy visit today. It was an introductory and congratulatory meeting, where we wished each other success in our new positions. I expressed my confidence to Mr. Diagne that he will remain impartial during his term in office, and I made use of the opportunity to put forward my views with regards to the working of the technical committees. As it is known, there are 13 technical committees operating on both sides, and I have stated that we will be supporting them in their intensive and voluntary work, with a results-oriented approach. A lot of time and effort is devoted to the working of these technical committees, and we, therefore, wish to see tangible results.”
Explaining that the technical committees are designed to build trust and improve the daily lives of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, President Erhürman said that the Presidency will provide “full support to resolve any issues the committees may face”.
Stating that he has reached a mutual understanding with Mr Diagne to maintain constant contact and to support the committees’ work with a results-oriented approach, President Erhürman added: “We are in agreement on maintaining direct contact regarding potential problems we may face, even if we do not wish for them to occur in the first place.”
President Erhürman said that this first meeting took place in a positive atmosphere, and he thanked Mr Diagne for his visit.
The President also answered questions from the press about when he would meet with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín.
Recalling that he had a telephone conversation with Mr Christodoulides, President Erhürman said: “We have agreed to hold a meeting in the coming weeks that will not include the UN but will involve representatives from both sides. We have not yet set the date and time for this meeting. We are also in contact with Ms. Holguin. Unless something unforeseen occurs, we will meet with Ms. Holguin on December 5.”
Diagne: “I offer my congratulations to His Excellency, Mr Erhürman, for the assumption of his duties”
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Khassim Diagne, made a statement to the press following his meeting with President Tufan Erhürman.
Mr. Diagne expressed his pleasure at having held his first meeting with President Erhürman, adding: “I seized the opportunity following the UN Secretary-General’s letter [to President Erhürman] dated 27 October 2025, to offer my congratulations for the assumption of his duties as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.”
“As the Secretary-General has said, we wish him well. Also, we conveyed the Secretary-General’s commitment to work to the well-being and security of all Cyprus in order to secure a peaceful resolution and sustainable solution of the Cyprus issue,” Mr. Diagne said.
Mr. Diagne added that “as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the entire UNFICYP, I assured His Excellency that we will do everything possible to work towards the achievement of that goal”.
Stating that his meeting with President Erhürman was a courtesy call, Mr. Diagne said that he listened to the views of the President, as he had done so in his meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides, a few days earlier.
“I now look forward to working with both leaders constructively,” Mr. Diagne said.