Nicosia: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has full confidence in his Personal Envoy and shares the view that more progress needs to be made between the leaders, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has told CNA, noting that there has been no pause in contacts, which continue at various levels to help support the sides.
According to Cyprus News Agency, in response to CNA's question on a recently published article by Holguin, Dujarric said that 'the recent op-ed reflects the Personal Envoy's observations of the realities on the ground.' He reiterated that 'the Secretary-General has full confidence in his Personal Envoy and shares the view that more progress needs to be made between the leaders.'
Dujarric underlined that 'there has been no pause in contacts, which continue at various levels to help support the sides.'
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.
In 2025, the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week.
Mara Angela Holgun, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holgun.