Nicosia: UN Secretary General’s personal envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, is set to arrive in Cyprus on Sunday, with plans to meet President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday. This meeting is part of the preparations for the informal talks on the Cyprus issue scheduled for July 16-17 in New York.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Holguin has been actively engaging with key stakeholders in Turkey, Greece, the United Kingdom, Brussels, and Paris. These engagements included discussions with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis in Athens, British Europe Minister Stephen Doughty in London, President of the European Council Antonio Costa, and EU Special Envoy for Cyprus Johannes Hahn in Brussels.
Additionally, Colin Stewart, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Cyprus, is expected to deliver his final briefing to the UN Security Council before his retirement in August. This briefing will focus on the UN Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP) and the Secretary General’s Good Offices Mission.
President Christodoulides recently briefed political party leaders on the upcoming New York meeting. While the leaders will not accompany him, they will maintain contact via videoconference. The meeting will follow a format similar to the March session in Geneva, including a dinner and bilateral talks, aimed at resuming peace negotiations.
Cyprus has remained divided since Turkey’s invasion in 1974. The informal meeting in New York, announced by UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, aims to further dialogue and assess progress since the Geneva talks. Initiatives from the previous meeting included opening crossing points and forming a Technical Committee on Youth.
In May, UN Secretary General Ant³nio Guterres appointed Maria Angela Holguin as his Personal Envoy on Cyprus, tasked with advancing discussions and advising on next steps. The European Commission also appointed Johannes Hahn as Special Envoy for Cyprus, working closely with Holguin in the settlement process.