Turkish Cypriot leader says federal Cyprus talks ended at Crans-Montana

Efforts to reach a federal settlement in Cyprus ended at the 2017 Crans-Montana Conference, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Unal Ustel said on Wednesday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.

Ustel made the remarks after meeting Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, the UN secretary-general's personal envoy on Cyprus, at the headquarters of the National Unity Party.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ustel said he had clearly conveyed the messages of the Turkish Cypriot people to Holguin.

He said the Turkish Cypriot side had shown goodwill and a constructive approach for many years, but the Greek Cypriot administration had not shown willingness to accept a partnership based on political equality and power-sharing.

Ustel said this became clear again at the 2017 Crans-Montana Conference.

He also said the international status of the Greek Cypriot administration, which he described as unjustly granted, has allowed the existing status quo to continue.

Ustel said a visit to Cyprus by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from July 27 to 29, 2026, showed there was still no common ground for launching formal negotiations.

He said there are two separate peoples and states on the island and argued that reviving a federal model would not help solve the Cyprus issue, given its repeated failures under different names.

Ustel said a lasting settlement could only be reached by recognising the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.

He called on the international community, particularly the United Nations, to acknowledge what he described as the political realities on the island.

The Crans-Montana Conference in Switzerland in 2017 was a UN-backed meeting aimed at reaching a settlement on the divided island, and it ended without an agreement.