Nicosia: The upcoming visit of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Cyprus is "a testament of his commitment", his Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin said ahead of his arrival to the island on Monday evening. She was speaking after having met with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman with whom she said she had "a good meeting". "We are waiting for the General Secretary this afternoon, we are going to have meetings tomorrow individually and a dinner at night with the two leaders," Holguin said.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Holguin pointed out that "this is a testimony of the commitment of the Secretary General with Cyprus," adding that "this is why he is coming". "He mandates his good offices for years, he has been involved with the Cyprus issue for 10 years while his is a General Secretary, so he comes here to support efforts and try to move forward the possibility to have a negotiation process and just listening to the leaders," Holguin said, concluding that they are welcoming him to Cyprus.
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.