Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Friday denied reports that United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin’s mandate had been extended by three months.

“The news in the Greek Cypriot press about the extension of [Holguin]’s mandate does not reflect the truth,” he said in a statement.

He added that he had given his consent to Holguin’s appointment provided that it was limited to six months, and that he will continue to “work constructively” with her in the remaining one month of those six.

The Athens News Agency had reported on Thursday that Holguin’s mandate had been extended by three months, with the story being released following Holguin’s meeting with Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis.

Holguin had most recently visited Cyprus in May, but her final meeting with Tatar lasted just 20 minutes, with relations between the pair seemingly having soured.

Tatar later criticised Holguin’s modus operandi while in Cyprus, accusing her of “provoking the opposition and turning me into a target.”

“Her holding of meetings with some opposition groups is outside her job description. This is not a nice thing. She visited Akinci twice. Is this even possible?” he said.

“This sort of thing is not something that can be accepted diplomatically. She is taking steps to provoke the opposition and wear me down. I conveyed my discomfort to the appropriate authorities.”

He went on to say, “they targeted me with statements like ‘Tatar ran away from a tripartite meeting’. They never blame Turkey, they say Tatar ran away. Tatar is not alone. I evaluate every stage of this policy together with Turkey.”

He added, “She cannot gauge public opinion going from door to door. She has no right. It is not nice of her to go to the most extreme opponents and provoke, challenging the established order of the country,” he said.

“Frankly, I was annoyed by that … It is Holguin’s duty to investigate if there is common ground. It is already clear that there is not.”

Holguin herself had told news website Kibris Postasi she had been “surprised” Tatar had rejected a proposal of a tripartite meeting with herself and Christodoulides.

Earlier, UN chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Holguin “continues her engagement with the parties and other relevant stakeholders in her effort to find common ground.”

“She is going to be in New York, for a little while longer. She discussed with the secretary general the way forward,” he said.

On Holguin’s meeting with George Gerapetritis, Dujarric said, “I have no doubt they discussed the Cyprus issue and many other matters of mutual interest.”