United Nations Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar has ruled out claims of a deadlock in Cyprus peace efforts but made clear that a “5+1” expanded informal meeting will not take place for now, as the process remains firmly at a pre-negotiation stage .
Speaking to ANKA after her latest round of contacts in Nicosia, Holguín said that while the pace of the process is undeniably slow, it continues to move forward and should not be mischaracterized as stagnant. What matters now, she stressed, is delivery.
“This is a pre-negotiation phase,” Holguín said, underlining that “constant and direct dialogue is essential” for the two leaders to express “their views, their concerns and their hopes.”
She met separately with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, followed by a trilateral meeting.
Clarifying her remarks to the press, Holguín said she had emphasized that every diplomatic process has its own dynamic, and that the Cyprus talks currently fall into a category of slow-moving but ongoing engagement.
“What I said to the press is that each process has its own dynamic, and this is a slow process,” she said. “The process is dynamic. It is slow, but we are moving forward.”
She added that being together and exchanging views remains valuable, even in the absence of immediate, concrete outcomes. Continued contact, honest conversations expressing concern or disappointment as well as hope, she said, helps preserve dialogue, prevent further erosion of trust, and keep the process alive after years of failed negotiation cycles.
At the same time, Holguín was explicit that confidence-building measures are indispensable if the process is to advance beyond pre-talks and toward meaningful negotiations. Such measures, she stressed, are not symbolic gestures but a necessary change on interactions between parties, from building pressure to building trust, in order to create the conditions for negotiations with a realistic chance of success.
No message from the secretary-general
Holguín rejected claims that she had conveyed a message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressing frustration with the pace of talks or warning that an enlarged meeting would not be convened.
“I am the personal envoy. I represent the secretary-general,” she said. “I did not bring such a message.”
She added, however, that the underlying assessment remains unchanged.
“It is correct that unless progress is achieved in Nicosia, there will be no call for a five-plus-one,” she said.
The five-plus-one format would include the two Cypriot sides, the United Nations, and the three guarantor powers: Türkiye, Greece, and the United Kingdom.
Confidence-building measures under review
Holguín said the leaders exchanged ideas on how to move toward substantive negotiations and reviewed the status of confidence-building measures. While acknowledging “some advances,” she said they remain insufficient.
“There has not been that much progress,” she said, adding that her priority remains pushing the sides to “do more on confidence-building measures.”
She repeatedly pointed to crossings and other practical steps affecting everyday life as the most immediate test of political will.
“These are practical confidence-building measures,” she said, referring to initiatives that could improve daily life and increase contact and trust between the two communities. Leaders should be showing to the people on both sides they are effectively moving from confrontation to cooperation, also to gain legitimacy for the negotiation process.
She stressed that such measures are not peripheral but central to the UN’s assessment of whether the process is ready to advance.
“So far, there has not been sufficient movement,” she said, warning that without tangible results it would be premature to escalate the format of talks.
Five-point proposal discussed
During the trilateral meeting, Holguín confirmed that Christodoulides presented his five-point proposal, which includes confidence-building measures but also links further steps, including the opening of new crossings, to broader political sequencing.
She did not endorse the proposal, saying only that it had been presented and discussed, alongside Turkish Cypriot views on methodology and sequencing.
Her emphasis remained unchanged: delivery must precede any shift in format.
No 5+1 without concrete progress
Holguín was unequivocal on the conditions for convening an enlarged meeting.
“Without tangible progress, it is very difficult to organise a five-plus-one meeting,” she said elaborating. At this stage, I will absolutely not convene an enlarged meeting,” she said. “The conditions are not there.”
She clarified, however, that the framework itself has not been abandoned.
“The five-plus-one is not off the table,” Holguín said, adding that it could only be considered “when conditions mature.”
Leaders to meet bilaterally
Holguín also said that, following Erhürman’s proposal, the leaders agreed to meet periodically whenever necessary, even without her participation. She stressed that more frequent direct contacts would strengthen mutual trust and understanding.
Increased engagement, she said, would help both sides better understand each other’s sensitivities, background thinking, expectations, and concerns.
“This foundation of understanding is indispensable for the process to move forward,” Holguín said.
Waiting for substance before the next visit
Asked when she plans to visit Cyprus again and when a new round of one-on-one or trilateral talks might take place, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy recalled that, even in her absence, the leaders have already committed to coming together again, while the teams of both sides will continue working on the outstanding issues. She underlined that she hopes to see genuine progress in the near term, but stressed that she would, in any case, wait to see concrete advances on the ground regarding confidence-building measures before returning to the island.
Focus remains on delivery
Holguín said she will continue consultations with both leaders and other stakeholders with the aim of translating dialogue into concrete outcomes.
“What matters now is delivery,” she said. “Confidence-building measures are essential.”
Until that happens, she made clear, expectations of a broader international conference should remain firmly in check.