Newsroom
Fresh efforts to revive the Cyprus issue are gathering pace, with the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín, confirming on Monday that preparations are underway for a new expanded meeting involving the island’s two sides and the guarantor powers.
Speaking after a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace, Holguín said work is ongoing to organize a so-called "5+1" meeting under the auspices of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
"We are preparing for the 5+1 meeting with the Secretary-General," she told reporters, expressing confidence that the process will ultimately lead to the gathering taking place.
Holguín said she was pleased to be back in Cyprus and described her talks with Christodoulides as "very good."
Her visit is part of a wider diplomatic effort aimed at gauging positions and maintaining momentum following recent contacts on the Cyprus problem.
Later on Monday, she was due to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman before continuing her regional tour with stops in Athens and Ankara. She is then expected to return to Colombia before traveling back to Europe for meetings in Brussels.
Asked whether the expanded meeting would definitely take place, Holguín struck an optimistic tone.
"Yes, it will happen," she said, while noting that no date has yet been finalized and that scheduling will depend on the availability of all participants.
For many Cypriots, the prospect of another high-level meeting will be watched closely. While decades of negotiations have left many cautious about expectations, any direct engagement involving the United Nations is generally viewed as an important step toward keeping dialogue alive.
Government sources said Holguín is expected to meet President Christodoulides again later this week, either on Friday or Saturday, before concluding her visit.
The renewed diplomatic activity comes as the UN continues efforts to explore whether enough common ground exists to move the Cyprus issue back toward a more substantive phase of negotiations.
