Holgun: The meeting between the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Mara ngela Holgun, and Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, on Monday, is expected to be of critical importance concerning the way ahead on the Cyprus issue, diplomatic sources have told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
According to Cyprus News Agency, the sources indicated that both the actions of the UN Secretary-General, who discussed the Cyprus issue with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Turkey in March, and Holgun's recent efforts signify the importance of consultations with Ankara. Turkey's stance is believed to greatly influence the next steps in the process.
In this context, Holgun's meeting with Fidan in Turkey on Monday is viewed as pivotal. Assessing Holgun's visit to Cyprus, the same sources mentioned that the interactions held were productive and marked the first phase of intensified preparatory work for a broader informal meeting on the Cyprus issue.
The preparatory work is being guided by an approach aimed at safeguarding the convergences achieved so far. The goal is to hold the next expanded meeting in late July or early August, to decide on the resumption of negotiations, the sources told CNA.
When questioned about any indications that the Turkish Cypriot side remains steadfast on a two-state solution, the sources noted that discussions with Holgun were focused on a single state framework. Following her visit to Nicosia, Holgun will travel to Ankara, where she will meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
On Wednesday, she is slated to meet in Athens with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis. She will then return to her homeland and is expected to return to Europe around the end of June. Her itinerary will begin in Brussels for meetings with European officials before she returns to Cyprus to continue consultations.
Following this new round of contacts, the next anticipated step is the convening of an expanded informal meeting on the Cyprus issue, provided that the UN Secretary-General is satisfied that the necessary conditions are met for the resumption of negotiations.
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.
In 2025, the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in a broader format that was expected to take place before the end of 2025 is yet to be announced. Mara Angela Holgun, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked with engaging with the parties.