Nicosia: The Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus, Mara ngela Holgun, is conducting separate meetings today with the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhrman, in an effort to reignite discussions on the reunification of Cyprus.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Holgun's schedule includes a meeting with President Christodoulides at 10:00 a.m. at the Presidential Palace, followed by a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman at 2:00 p.m. Holgun arrived in Cyprus on Monday, where she initially met with negotiators from both communities to prepare for today's meetings and an upcoming joint meeting on January 28. This joint meeting will serve as a follow-up to a previous meeting held on December 11, 2025.
Holgun is expected to stay in Cyprus until January 29. President Christodoulides emphasized the importance of convening an expanded conference to announce the resumption of substantive talks. Cyprus has remained divided since 1974 following Turkey's invasion and occupation of the northern part of the island. Previous UN-led peace talks have failed, largely due to Turkish resistance, with the last round in Crans-Montana in July 2017 ending without agreement.
In 2025, the Secretary-General hosted informal meetings on Cyprus in March in Geneva and in July in New York, followed by a tripartite meeting in September at the UN General Assembly. A broader informal meeting is anticipated. As the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Holgun is tasked with facilitating engagement between the parties, alongside former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who has been appointed as the European Commission's Special Envoy for Cyprus to aid in the settlement process in cooperation with Holgun.