The dinner between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar concluded shortly after 3:30 AM. Guterres described the evening as "very good."

According to Guterres, Tatar agreed to participate in a multilateral meeting, the date of which will be determined by the UN Secretary-General.

>>Timeline: Key Moments From the Trilateral Meeting on the Cyprus Issue in New York<<

Additionally, Tatar agreed to meet with the President of the Republic of Cyprus in Nicosia to discuss increasing the number of crossings at the checkpoints.

Guterres also thanked María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar for completing her mission, though he noted it had "not succeeded."

>>Analysis: A Tough Road Ahead for Cyprus Talks<<

Following the dinner, President Christodoulides expressed that two positive outcomes emerged: the organization of informal meetings with the guarantor powers (informal multilateral meetings) and the upcoming meetings in Cyprus between himself and Tatar, aimed at opening more crossing points.

"The Secretary-General hosted an informal dinner today with the leader of the Greek Cypriot community, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mr. Ersin Tatar.

The Secretary-General recalled the engagement of his Personal Envoy on Cyprus, Ms. María Angela Holguín Cuéllar, who submitted her final report to him in July. He regretted that despite his Personal Envoy’s efforts and engagement with the two leaders, political actors and civil society on the island, the guarantor powers, and the broader international community, no common ground had been found between the leaders on the way forward on the Cyprus issue.

The Secretary-General encouraged the leaders to consider how to bridge the gap in their positions and rebuild trust to allow movement leading to a settlement.

The leaders agreed to have an informal meeting in a broader format in the near future, under the auspices of the Secretary-General, to discuss the way forward. They also agreed to meet in Cyprus to explore the possibility of opening new crossings.

The Secretary-General underlined the continued steadfast commitment of the United Nations to a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus issue, for the benefit of all Cypriots and future generations."

"The informal, expanded meetings will continue, as they have in the past, with the participation of the three guarantor powers," stated the President of the Republic, Nicos Christodoulides, after the conclusion of the informal dinner at the UN headquarters in New York. The dinner was hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and attended by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar. Christodoulides expressed his gratitude to the Secretary-General for initiating this important event.

President Christodoulides noted that "there was an open discussion, constructive at certain points," but added that "nothing new was heard from Mr. Tatar." He also mentioned that an agreement was reached to hold a meeting in Cyprus with Mr. Tatar to explore the possibility of opening new crossing points.

The President further commented that "some proposals were made by the Secretary-General, which were not accepted by the Turkish Cypriot leader."

In his statement after the informal dinner, President Christodoulides publicly thanked the UN Secretary-General for taking the significant initiative to host the dinner, especially during a time when two wars, in Ukraine and the Middle East, are ongoing. He also appreciated Guterres' remarks during his opening statement on how he believes a solution to the Cyprus problem is possible.

"We had an open discussion, and in some areas, it was constructive. We did not hear anything new from Mr. Tatar, to be honest, but I am glad that the Secretary-General has decided to continue these informal, expanded meetings, as was done in the past, along with the confidence-building measures we proposed," the President emphasized.

He added, "What was agreed upon at the end is that there will be a meeting in Cyprus with Mr. Tatar, and the possibility of opening new crossing points will be examined. We continue our efforts. For a long time, there was no movement on the Cyprus issue. I am pleased with the Secretary-General’s initiative. We know our goals, and hopefully, positive developments will follow, leading to the resumption of talks."

The President clarified that "we are not there yet. I want to make that clear. The discussions tonight and those that will follow are informal, and we hope they will lead to the resumption of negotiations."

When asked about the nature of "expanded meetings," the President of the Republic explained that "they will be expanded, as in the past, with the participation of the three guarantor powers. These will remain informal discussions to explore how prospects for resuming talks can be investigated. During tonight’s discussion, I highlighted the issues that, as you understand, are of particular importance, although all matters are crucial for the Greek Cypriot side," he noted.

Regarding the issue of sovereign equality, which is a demand of the Turkish Cypriot side, the President commented that "it was not resolved" and that "no progress was made on substantive issues."

"I did not hear anything new from Mr. Tatar, and I naturally responded to the points he raised, which are well-known and consistent with what he publicly states," Christodoulides added.

The President mentioned that the Secretary-General will conduct some exploratory contacts and will inform both sides about the dates of the next informal meetings. "There is no timeline as of tonight," he said, adding that they touched upon "all issues concerning the Cyprus problem." He also reiterated "the importance of safeguarding the negotiation acquis, including the six points raised by the Secretary-General."

"Some proposals were made by the Secretary-General that were not accepted by the Turkish Cypriot leader. I will not go into details; I am not here to assign blame or to publicly discuss these matters. Let's focus on the positive aspect that this informal effort will continue, and I hope the dialogue will yield results. We made specific proposals, but the other side did not provide answers, saying these would be discussed in Cyprus," President Christodoulides noted when asked about the topics proposed by the Secretary-General.

As for the future role of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, President Christodoulides stated that "the Republic of Cyprus supports the continuation of Ms. Holguín's efforts, and I can assure you that someone will play a leading role in these informal meetings with Mr. Tatar."