In what could prove to be one of her final diplomatic initiatives before her mandate expires, María Ángela Holguín, the personal envoy of António Guterres, begins a new round of meetings in Cyprus today aimed at creating the conditions for the resumption of substantive talks on the Cyprus problem.
Holguín is scheduled to meet President Nikos Christodoulides at 12.30pm on Friday. On Monday, she is expected to hold a separate meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman as part of her effort to determine whether there is scope for bridging the differences between the two sides.
The latest round of contacts carries particular significance as a trilateral meeting is scheduled for 9 November, a gathering that could become a decisive milestone for the next phase of developments on the Cyprus issue.
With the mandates of both Holguín and António Guterres set to expire in December, the current initiative may represent one of the last opportunities for the UN envoy to secure meaningful progress and pave the way for the relaunch of the negotiation process.
For his part, President Christodoulides has pledged to continue making every possible effort to create an opening for substantive negotiations, stressing that he continues to put forward new ideas and approaches while remaining within the agreed framework.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the existing difficulties, challenges and obstacles cannot be underestimated, while insisting that he remains committed to restarting the process.
Holguín's visit comes at a time when the two leaders have resumed direct contacts. However, no progress has yet been recorded that would allow the formal negotiation process to restart.
