President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides will have a first meeting with the new Head of UNFICYP and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Khassim Diagne at 11.30am local time on Wednesday, 29 October.
The Cyprus government is awaiting announcements from the United Nations regarding the upcoming visit to Cyprus of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, María Ángela Holguín.
The Senegalese diplomat Khassim Diagne replaced Colin Stewart, who retired recently.
Upon his arrival, Diagne said he felt honoured and grateful to be on the island, adding that he looks forward to working with all parties. Diagne has over 25 years of experience in international affairs and has held senior leadership positions within the United Nations.
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. An informal meeting in broader format is expected later this year.
María Angela Holguín, 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 Holguín.
(Source: CNA)
