There's no need to invent satire in Cypriot political life — reality does the job perfectly well. The latest exhibit: President Christodoulides's much-trumpeted discovery of "convergences" with António Guterres. Word has been solemnly leaked that the National Council reached unanimous agreement on the earth-shattering assessment that the UN Secretary-General intends to keep working on the Cyprus problem until the end of his term. Another landmark achievement for President Christodoulides. Was there actually anyone around that table expecting a Secretary-General to announce he was walking away from one of the longest-running open files in international diplomacy?
A convergence-surprise. A sign of progress. Proof of a shared path forward. We are apparently celebrating the UN chief's intention to continue doing his job. The question that should have been asked is a rather different one: what, precisely, is our side doing to make use of Guterres's stated willingness?
There is no substantial sign of strategy, no concrete initiative, no political boldness that would suggest the Greek Cypriot side is trying to capitalise on the narrow window remaining before Guterres's term expires. What there is, instead, is an obsession with managing appearances. The president insists on highlighting the existence of a “common goal” and “convergences” with the Secretary-General, as well as on opening the Kokkina checkpoint; otherwise, the Cyprus problem process is a no-go.
The official statements out of UN headquarters remain relentlessly vague and formulaic: "next steps," "continuing efforts," "seeking progress." Nothing that differs in any meaningful way from the announcements issued after every contact, whether with the Greek Cypriot or Turkish Cypriot side.
The comparison with the Turkish Cypriot position is revealing. Tufan Erhürman's remarks after his own meetings with Guterres are every bit as empty as anything produced by our side. The UN announcements are identical. The difference lies not in substance but in handling: the Turkish Cypriot side does not attempt to dress up that emptiness as a success. Our side, by contrast, elevates it to a "convergence." And that is where the deeper problem lies. The Cyprus problem does not suffer only from a lack of progress at the negotiating table. It suffers from a lack of political seriousness at the domestic level. When the self-evident is presented as an achievement, when the absence of substance is baptised progress, all that is being reproduced is inertia.
The time remaining before Guterres's term ends is short. If there is genuine will for progress, it will not be demonstrated through statements and leaks — it will be demonstrated through concrete initiatives and decisions. Otherwise, the "convergence" with the Secretary-General will go down in history as yet another firework display of the kind Nikos Christodoulides has made his calling card — beginning with those famous milestones that, to this day, we are still waiting for.
This article was first published on 26.03.2026
Source: FROM MILESTONES TO CONVERGENCES
