Nicosia: UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy, Mara ngela Holgun Cu©llar, is scheduled to visit Cyprus from May 24 to May 31 for a series of meetings, as announced by the UNSG’s Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in a statement to CNA. During her visit, Holgun will engage with both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, their representatives, and other stakeholders involved in the Cyprus issue.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Holgun’s visit is part of a broader diplomatic effort, as she plans to engage with the guarantor powers of Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom following her meetings on the island. The trip comes against the backdrop of a longstanding division in Cyprus, which has remained split since 1974 after Turkey’s invasion and subsequent occupation of the northern third of the island. Despite numerous rounds of UN-led peace talks, a resolution has remained elusive, with the last major negotiations in 2017 at Crans-Montana ending without agreement.
UN Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres announced plans for an informal meeting on Cyprus, to be held at the end of July, following a similar meeting in Geneva in March. These gatherings aim to explore potential initiatives, such as opening new crossing points and establishing a Technical Committee on Youth, to foster cooperation across the buffer zone and the island as a whole.
Holgun, who has been appointed in early May as the Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked with re-engaging the involved parties to strategize on the next steps for resolving the Cyprus issue. Her previous tenure as Personal Envoy on Cyprus ran from January to July 2024. Additionally, the European Commission has appointed Johannes Hahn as Special Envoy for Cyprus to aid in the settlement process, working closely alongside Holgun.