United Nations Secretary-General’s personal envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, is expected to return to the island this month to prepare for the next informal meeting on the Cyprus issue scheduled for late July in Geneva.
Holguín, who was reappointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday, will have approximately two months to prepare the next steps in the Cyprus peace process, as outlined by Guterres following the informal meeting in Geneva held on March 17-18.
During her previous mission, Holguín focused primarily on engaging with civil society rather than substantive discussions with the two leaders, largely due to the Turkish side’s reluctance to allow meaningful dialogue on the Cyprus issue. The Greek Cypriot side has expressed hope that this new phase of her mission will yield better results.
Holguín’s previous efforts showed goodwill but lacked the determination needed to pressure parties toward negotiations. When Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar indicated there was no basis for another meeting with her, she decided to make her final visit to the island anyway. She subsequently prepared a report for the Secretary-General outlining specific steps she believed necessary for the Cyprus issue.
Following the informal meeting in Geneva, Guterres asked Holguín “to reconnect with the involved parties to work on the next steps in the Cyprus issue and advise him.” Holguín had previously completed a mission as the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy from January to July 2024.
The timing of Holguín’s reappointment is significant, coming just one day before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to the Turkish-occupied north. The announcement signals that the Cyprus process continues on its existing basis.
President Christodoulides reminded audiences on Saturday that the Turkish side had previously claimed no expanded meeting would take place, yet it did occur. He also noted that while they predicted the meeting would end in deadlock, a new meeting was scheduled for July.
Erdoğan’s statement during his visit, declaring that “the two-state solution is the common vision” of the occupied north and Turkey, provides cover for Tatar’s hardline position. Erdoğan said that new negotiations would not be conducted between two communities but between “two states.”
President Christodoulides and Tatar are meeting today at the Ledra Palace Hotel to continue discussions on confidence-building measures, as agreed in Geneva.
The establishment of a Technical Committee on Youth represents the most substantive development from the Geneva discussions, with partial progress noted on other matters. However, there has been no progress on opening new crossing points between the two sides.
