Nicosia: After his Personal Envoy on Cyprus, Mara ngela Holgun, held two separate bilateral meetings on Monday with the leaders, the focus now turns to the Secretary-General's visit, and the opportunity it brings to support further progress in Cyprus talks, UN in Cyprus said, ahead of Antonio Guterres' visit to the island later tonight.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the UN posted on X pictures of the preparations noting that the countdown is on at the UN Good Offices Mission. ''Final preparations are moving at full pace ahead of the visit of UN Secretary-General with teams working behind the scenes to ensure everything is ready for his engagements on the island'', the post said.
The UNSG is arriving later today and will meet the leaders Wednesday. A press conference is scheduled following the meeting. During his stay, he will also visit the CMP lab and will engage with the negotiators, the technical committees, and the social society.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.