The Government considers the visit of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin, to Brussels, as very useful and important, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told CNA.
“We consider it important and very useful that this meeting will take place with the EU institutions, taking into account the role that the EU can play in assisting the efforts of the UN Secretary General and his Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguin,” he stressed.
Letymbiotis noted that the Government was informed that Holguin’s visit to Brussels has been postponed to July 13. It is recalled that it was initially scheduled for June 28.
The Spokesperson said that the progress of the EU-Turkey issues and the simultaneous interconnection with the progress on the Cyprus issue is a declared position of the EU and recalled the conclusions of the April 2024 European Council.
Letymbiotis pointed out that in view of the new initiative for Cyprus undertaken by the UN Secretary General, the EU has now the tools and incentives to make progress on both issues at the same time.
It is recalled that in the meantime, the NATO Summit will be held in Turkey on July 7 and 8.
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.
After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.