Contacts at negotiators’ level are expected at the beginning of next week with the arrival on the island of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguín, the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) has learned.
According to information obtained by CNA, Holguín is expected to arrive in Cyprus on Sunday and is to hold separate meetings on Monday with President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman. At present, no further details are available regarding her schedule and other contacts while in Cyprus.
Sources familiar with the matter told CNA that the next contacts at negotiators’ level are expected to take place at the beginning of next week following Holguín’s arrival.
Regarding discussions on confidence-building measures (CBMs) at negotiators’ level, there appear to be some positive developments concerning the issue of religious services, it was noted, while discussions on CBMs continue.
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 that was expected to take place before the end of 2025, is yet to be announced. María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.