United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Cyprus on Tuesday for a diplomatic mission aimed at determining whether the minimum political conditions exist for a return to meaningful negotiations on the Cyprus issue. The visit does not represent an immediate path towards a settlement, according to the United Nations. Instead, the UN says Guterres will discuss efforts to advance the peace process and maintain stability on the island through meetings with the leaders of both communities and other stakeholders.
It marks the first visit by a UN secretary-general to Cyprus in 16 years. The key question surrounding the mission is not the schedule of meetings, but whether Guterres can identify common ground between two sides that continue to hold fundamentally different views on both the current situation and the basis of a future agreement. Holguin Held Final Preparatory Meetings Ahead of Guterres’ arrival, his personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin conducted a final round of preparatory discussions in Nicosia.
Holguin met Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides for more than an hour at the Presidential Palace, with talks focusing on Guterres’ visit and possible next steps in the peace process. Speaking after the meeting, Holguin said the UN chief had travelled to Cyprus to facilitate dialogue and encourage both sides to consider returning to negotiations. “The mission of the Secretary-General is to facilitate the process and encourage citizens and leaders to turn towards the prospect of negotiation,” she said, adding that Guterres had supported efforts for almost a decade and hoped progress could be achieved.
Holguin arrived in Cyprus following meetings in Brussels and Ankara, two locations directly connected to the key factors shaping the latest diplomatic initiative. She described those discussions as positive and said they covered “all necessary points” to give momentum to the process. In Ankara, Holguin met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, while in Brussels she held talks with European officials.
Turkey’s position and the potential role of the European Union remain among the main factors that could influence future developments. Holguin is also expected to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman before Guterres begins his own discussions. Nicosia Signals “Readiness and Realism” Following the meeting at the Presidential Palace, Cypriot gov…
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