United Nations and Turkish Cypriot leader hold meeting at Antalya Diplomacy Forum

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, met with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. This was the first meeting between the two officials since Erhurman assumed his role last October. The meeting focused on confidence-building measures and recent developments regarding the Cyprus issue. Official photographs released following the meeting showed the flag of the 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' displayed alongside the United Nations flag. This display sparked criticism from political circles in the Republic of Cyprus, including the DIKO party, which condemned the act as inappropriate and a potential departure from standard UN protocol regarding unrecognized entities. The Greek Cypriot side has called on the government to seek formal explanations from the United Nations regarding the incident. Conversely, the Erhurman camp described the meeting as productive.