Nicosia:President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erciurman are set to meet on Tuesday at 11 am at the United Nations Good Offices Mission in Nicosia. The meeting is timed with the anticipated arrival of Maria Angela Holguin, the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the leaders are also scheduled to hold a joint meeting with members of the Youth and Cultural Heritage Technical Committees and the Civil Society Body Council as part of the framework of their discussions.
The President had previously met with Khassim Diagne, the Special Representative of the UN and Head of the Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. During this meeting, he emphasized the government's stance against any violations of the buffer zone status quo by the Turkish Cypriot side.
A further meeting is scheduled for next Friday between the President and the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General. A joint meeting involving both President Christodoulides and Erciurman with Holguin has also been planned.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following Turkey's invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite numerous UN-led efforts, peace talks have not resulted in a resolution, primarily due to Turkish intransigence. The most recent negotiations in 2017 at Crans-Montana ended without an agreement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced plans for another broader format meeting, once adequate preparation is ensured, though no specific timeline has been provided. He has received consensus from both sides and the guarantor powers for this initiative. MarÃa Angela HolguÃn has been tasked as Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus to facilitate engagement, while Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto serves as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding Johannes Hahn.