U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, has held talks with senior European Union officials in Brussels ahead of the U.N. chief’s July 27-29 visit to the island.
Holguin met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Raffaele Fitto, the Commission’s newly appointed special representative for Cyprus.
The discussions focused on supporting U.N.-led efforts to revive long-stalled negotiations.
Von der Leyen welcomed Holguin’s engagement and said the Commission would support efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue within the U.N. framework and in line with EU principles and law, using “all the assistance and tools at our disposal.”
Fitto, who is also an executive vice president of the Commission, said the meeting provided an opportunity to establish a working relationship and exchange initial views. He was appointed to the Cyprus role on July 13 to support the settlement process in coordination with the U.N. envoy.
Holguin is also expected to travel to Ankara for talks with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan before joining Guterres in Cyprus.
The United Nations said Guterres would visit the island as part of his good offices mission and meet Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and other stakeholders.
The talks will address ways to advance the peace process and support stability on the island.
Reports have suggested that Guterres could seek a broader informal meeting in September involving the two Cypriot sides and guarantor powers Türkiye, Greece and Britain.
The U.N. has not announced a date or agenda for such a meeting.
The last comprehensive round of U.N.-brokered talks collapsed in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in 2017.
Erhürman has called for result-oriented talks founded on political equality and conducted in close coordination with Türkiye.
