UN envoy to meet Christodoulides and Tatar on Monday

President Nikos Christodoulides pledged on Sunday he would work with UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin with one objective: to resume talks on solving the Cyprus problem.

“We do not ignore the difficulties and challenges, but we are working methodically with a single objective, that her mission will lead us to the resumption of talks.”

Christodoulides is slated to meet with Holguin on Monday, who will be travelling from London.

She is expected to be in Cyprus for around a week or 10 days, Christodoulides said, and they are to have more than one meeting together.

He stressed the meeting will not be a ceremonial one but in fact “we will talk specifics. We have some thoughts that I want to share with her and I hope to be informed of developments that will bring us closer to our sole objective, which is to resume talks from where they were interrupted as soon as possible.”

Turkish Cypriot press reports said Holguin was set to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar at 11:15am.

Christodoulides on Sunday attended the memorial service of Lieutenant Stelios Masinis who died in 1999 when a mine exploded as he was clearing a minefield in Potamia village, Nicosia.

He was 32 at the time and his death sparked a huge wave of criticism.

“We have taken initiatives, concrete actions and we have succeeded in the appointment of a personal envoy by the UN Secretary General,” he added.

“We are striving, like the hero whose national memorial we are observing today, to do our duty and respond to his call, responsibly and in accordance with our objectives.”

Referring to the life of Masinis and the events that led to his death in 1999 while on duty to clear a minefield in Potamia, Christodoulides said that “Stelios Masinis is a modern post-war example for every Cypriot citizen, wherever they may be, whatever they may do. He strongly reminds us of our duty to our homeland and the value of loyalty to national, professional, social and family duty”.

“His sacrifice shocks us, tests us and prompts us to self-criticism, as we, as a state, have an obligation to honour and promote the sacrifice of all our country’s heroes.”