Nicosia: Cyprus issue and the resumption of the peace talks are on the spotlight as of tomorrow with the arrival on the island of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, a few months before the end of his term in office. UN Chief will make an effort to leave with deliverables on the Cyprus issue vis-a-vis a resumption of talks after the 2017 Crans Montana talks, which failed to yield any results.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Guterres arrives on the island Monday evening, coming from Syria. His personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin, who arrived in Cyprus Saturday, is scheduled to meet with President Christodoulides on Monday at 9.30 am (local time), as announced by the Presidential Office. Her meeting with Tufan Erhurman is scheduled for 11.00 am.
On Tuesday morning, the UN Secretary-General will meet with President Christodoulides. The President was in Athens yesterday for consultations and coordination with the Greek Premier. Guterres' meeting with Tufan Erhurman is scheduled for 11.45 on Tuesday.
At noon, the UN chief will lay a wreath at the Peacekeepers' Monument outside Ledra Palace and at 4.00 pm he will visit the Committee on Missing Persons' lab. Meetings with negotiators, heads of technical committees, and civil society representatives have been scheduled for later in the day.
In the evening, UNSG will participate in a private dinner with the two leaders at the residence of Special Representative at Nicosia Airport. On Wednesday morning, Guterres will have a joint meeting with the two leaders at Nicosia Airport and will give a press conference.
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.
After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.