Nicosia: President Nikos Christodoulides announced on Sunday that he has been in communication with the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, and that they have tentatively scheduled a meeting for May.
According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides, while addressing journalists at an event in Nicosia, confirmed that he had spoken with Maria Angela Holguin. He mentioned that although Holguin’s contract officially begins on May 12, they have exchanged potential dates for a meeting, with the final announcement to be made by Holguin herself.
President Christodoulides further mentioned that a preliminary date has been set for Holguin’s visit to Cyprus in May, but emphasized that the specific dates will be announced by Holguin. This development follows the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ recent request for Holguin to re-engage with the involved parties and offer advice on the next steps regarding the Cyprus issue. Holguin previously served as the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus from January to July 2024.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied the northern third of the island. Despite multiple UN-led peace talks, negotiations have consistently stalled, most recently in July 2017 at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, due to ongoing disagreements. An informal broader format meeting on Cyprus is planned for the end of July, following the recent discussions in Geneva on March 17-18, where both sides agreed to pursue various initiatives aimed at improving cooperation across the island.
Nicosia