UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, met the European Union’s newly appointed envoy for Cyprus and European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in Brussels on Wednesday.

According to a source familiar with the discussions, the meetings took place in a positive atmosphere at the European Commission headquarters, with both sides expressing enthusiasm about future cooperation.

The source said Holguin and Fitto agreed to remain in direct contact, highlighting the importance of maintaining close coordination between the United Nations and the European Commission. The discussions also underlined the value of the Commission’s channel of communication with Turkey and reaffirmed support for the efforts of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The source added that further developments are expected after Guterres visits Cyprus at the end of July.

No meeting with European Council President Antonio Costa had been scheduled, as he is currently away from Brussels. It was also noted that Holguin’s meetings were not intended to take place at the level of the heads of the EU institutions.

Following the meeting, in a post on X von der Leyen said she was “delighted” to meet Holguin and welcomed her “active engagement, alongside Antonio Guterres, to resolve the Cyprus issue within the UN framework and in line with EU principles, values and legislation.”

She added that the European Commission “will support this effort with all the assistance and tools at our disposal,” noting that the EU’s newly appointed Special Representative for Cyprus, Raffaele Fitto, “is engaging with all key stakeholders.”

Holguin is expected to meet on Thursday with Costa’s diplomatic adviser, Anna-Maria Boura. Her full programme of meetings with EU officials before departing for Ankara on Friday has not been made public.

On Tuesday evening, Holguin also held talks with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Following the meeting, Kallas said the European Union remains firmly committed to supporting the UN-led process aimed at achieving a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue.