Nicosia: The UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, is set to visit the island next week to engage in crucial meetings with both Cypriot leaders on Tuesday, January 27, as confirmed by UN in Cyprus Spokesperson Aleem Siddique to CNA.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Siddique stated that Holguin's schedule includes a meeting with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides at 10 am, followed by discussions with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman at 2 pm. No additional meetings have been confirmed at this time.
CNA further reports that President Christodoulides has expressed interest in holding a joint meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader and Holguin. The island has remained divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third, and numerous UN-led peace talks have thus far failed to resolve the situation, primarily due to Turkish intransigence. The last significant negotiations, held in July 2017 at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ended without resolution.
In 2025, the UN Secretary-General convened two informal meetings regarding Cyprus, one in March in Geneva and another in July in New York, followed by a tripartite meeting at the conclusion of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in September. An anticipated informal meeting in a broader format, expected before the end of 2025, has not yet been scheduled.
Mara Angela Holgun has been tasked with engaging with the involved parties in her role as the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus. Additionally, Johannes Hahn, a former European Commissioner designated as Special Envoy for Cyprus by the Commission, is anticipated to aid the settlement process in collaboration with Holgun.