UN Envoy Holguin back in Cyprus in May

United Nations Envoy Maria Angela Holguin will return to Cyprus at the beginning of May, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Friday.

Speaking to journalists on the matter, he said Holguin will meet again with President Nikos Christodoulides to discuss next steps regarding the Cyprus problem.

“What we will repeat once again is our unwavering commitment to efforts to restart negotiations from where they were interrupted [in Crans Montana in 2017], as the European Union has emphasised, and our commitment to the Security Council’s resolutions and the agreed framework,” he said.

Holguin has made two previous visits to Cyprus since undertaking her role, the first over the end of January and the beginning of February, and the second in March.

During her visits to the island, she met multiple times with both President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, while also holding meetings with political party leaders, retired politicians, and members of civil society.

In addition, she travelled to Ankara, Athens, and London to meet with leadership figures of Cyprus’ three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Holguin’s planned visit in May will come just weeks before the end of the completion of six months since she was appointed to the role of UN Envoy – the timeframe on which Ersin Tatar insists before her duties come to an end.

He had said on Thursday that her appointment constitutes “a clear indication that a federation is no longer a common ground for any compromise,” and has stated on numerous occasions that he will not negotiate on the basis of a federal solution.