President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, is to meet with the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, María Ángela Holguín.
The meeting is due to take place at the Presidential Palace at noon on Friday, 12 September.
Holguín, who is having a new round of meetings on the island, will hold separate meetings with the President of the Republic and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar.
Her meeting with Tatar is to take place on 15 September. Spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said that during her stay on the island, Holguin is expected to engage with the representatives of the two leaders, as well as other Cypriot stakeholders.
President Christodoulides expressed the Greek Cypriot side's readiness for positive developments in New York that will lead to the resumption of the Cyprus talks, noting that he considers Holguin's visit to Cyprus “a positive development”.
“I consider it positive that Holguin is coming to Cyprus, even though a personal matter arose and she had to postpone her visit previously,” he said, speaking on the evening of 11 September.
“She insisted, her arrival was arranged, so that the necessary preparatory work can be done, in the hope that we will have positive results at the New York meeting,” he added.
The President noted that Holguin's presence in Cyprus shows “the strong will, the political commitment of the UN Secretary General to have positive developments.”
“We are ready for such positive developments that will lead to the resumption of talks,” he stressed.
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.
A second informal meeting on Cyprus in broader format was held in New York, on July 16-17, 2025. Another meeting is anticipated later this year, to follow up on initiatives, agreed by the parties, which the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said they demonstrate a commitment to continuing a dialogue on the way forward. Guterres also announced that he would meet jointly with Cyprus leaders during the General Assembly high-level week, in September.
The two sides in Cyprus continue discussions on outstanding issues, including the opening of crossing points and a solar energy installation in the buffer zone. They also agreed to cooperate on a number of issues, including the exchange of cultural artifacts, while Maria Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, will continue her efforts.
The European Commission designated Johannes Hahn, a former European Commissioner, as Special Envoy for Cyprus to contribute to the settlement process, in close cooperation with Holguín.
(Source: CNA)
