Nicosia: Negotiators Menelaos Menelaou and Mehmet Dana from the two communities in Cyprus are scheduled to meet ahead of a pivotal meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Thursday. The meeting will also involve Maria Angela Holguin, the United Nations Secretary-General’s personal envoy.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the negotiators’ meeting is expected to occur either on Tuesday or Wednesday, following a previous meeting held on December 3rd. Maria Angela Holguin arrived on the island last Thursday and has already conducted separate meetings with the leaders. She expressed optimism for the upcoming joint meeting, emphasizing her anticipation of productive discussions.
The agenda for next Thursday includes a visit by the two leaders to the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) laboratory, followed by the joint meeting with Holguin. The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following Turkey’s invasion and subsequent occupation of the northern third. Despite numerous UN-led peace talks, a resolution has been elusive, primarily due to Turkish resistance. The most recent negotiations, held in July 2017 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ended without a conclusive agreement.
In 2025, the UN Secretary-General facilitated two informal meetings on Cyprus, one in March in Geneva and another in July in New York, with a tripartite meeting with Cyprus leaders occurring in late September during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week. An informal meeting in a broader format is anticipated later this year.
Maria Angela Holguin’s role involves engaging with the parties to advance the peace process, in collaboration with Johannes Hahn, former European Commissioner and the European Commission’s Special Envoy for Cyprus. Both are working towards contributing to a viable settlement.