Nicosia:President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides is set to meet Maria Angela Holguin, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, on Friday. This meeting comes as efforts are underway to restart negotiations concerning the longstanding Cyprus issue. President Christodoulides has highlighted the importance of the upcoming days for developments in this matter.

According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides will engage in a one-on-one meeting with Holguin at 1230 local time at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. Holguin is expected to have arrived in Cyprus late Thursday evening and is scheduled to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Monday morning.

A joint meeting between President Christodoulides, Erhurman, and Holguin is planned for November 9, as announced by the UN. President Christodoulides expressed his commitment to seizing any opportunity for substantive negotiations during his remarks to journalists at the State Fair grounds for the 9th National Skills Competition, SkillsCyprus 2026. He acknowledged the challenges but emphasized his readiness to explore new ideas and approaches within the existing framework to advance the negotiations.

Cyprus has remained divided since 1974 following Turkey's invasion and occupation of its northern third. Numerous UN-led peace talks have failed to produce results due to Turkish intransigence, with the latest negotiations in 2017 ending without a conclusion. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to convene another meeting in a broader format, pending adequate preparations, and has secured consensus from both sides and the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín is tasked with engaging the parties on behalf of the UN, while Raffaele Fitto serves as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus.