UN envoy Holguín says efforts on Cyprus will continue — Cyprus Mail
UN envoy María Ángela Holguín, after meeting with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in New York, United States, said that the United Nations is continuing its efforts on the Cyprus issue. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and Holguín described it as “good” and “constructive,” Cyprus Mail reports.
Christodoulides did not publicly comment on the talks immediately afterward. Later this week, he is also due to meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman, for his part, plans to hold separate meetings with Holguín and Guterres.
Diplomatic contacts in New York
Discussions on a Cyprus settlement intensified during the UN General Assembly session. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Guterres and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Burnham also held talks with Christodoulides.
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In his address to the General Assembly, Erdoğan said that the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people must be recognized. He also called on the international community to establish political, diplomatic and economic ties with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and to end what he described as the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
Differences over negotiations
No concrete progress toward a settlement has been achieved since Guterres’ visit to Cyprus in July. The UN secretary-general said at the time that he intended to hold an expanded meeting involving the island’s two sides, Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the UN after sufficient progress on confidence-building measures, methodology and the substance of negotiations.
Christodoulides and Erhürman have met three times since July, but differences remain over the interpretation of political equality, crossing points and the methodology of negotiations. The Cyprus president also said that private meetings in New York could create conditions for positive developments. Erhürman stressed that the Turkish Cypriot side seeks a “five plus one” format, whose success, he said, should be ensured by preparatory meetings in Nicosia and negotiations.
