United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin has described last week’s tripartite Cyprus meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman as “a very good start”, marking renewed engagement following Erhurman’s election in October.
Speaking to Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeniduzen on Monday, Holguin said the meeting represented the first direct, face-to-face discussion between the two leaders in five years, during which fundamental political issues were addressed.
“The meeting was deep, frank and extremely open. From my point of view, this was a very good start,” she said.
Reference to political equality
Holguin highlighted the significance of the joint statement issued after the meeting, noting that it included an explicit reference to a solution to the Cyprus problem based on political equality, as defined by UN Security Council resolutions.
“Such a commitment had not been made by the leaders since 2020, and this is no small achievement,” she said.
She praised both Christodoulides and Erhurman, describing the dialogue as one conducted by “two young leaders with a fresh and creative vision for the island”.
Praise for dialogue and leadership
Holguin said that the new Turkish Cypriot leader had demonstrated clarity and preparedness during the discussions.
“He is articulate and well-informed and was able to quickly identify the issues that need to be addressed before moving on to comprehensive negotiations,” she said.
Commenting on the length of the meeting, which lasted nearly three and a half hours instead of the initially planned one hour, Holguin said this reflected the depth of the discussions.
“The length of the meeting was an indication of how detailed the discussion was. I was pleased to see both leaders engage in such a substantive exchange,” she said.
Early stage but cautious optimism
Despite her positive assessment, Holguin stressed that the dialogue remains at an early stage.
“The two leaders have agreed on some confidence-building measures, and hopefully they can agree on more in the coming weeks and months,” she said, adding that further efforts will be required to build trust and sustain momentum.
She noted that this trust would be essential before UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could convene an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, involving the two sides, the guarantor powers — Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom — and the UN.
“While the meeting had many positive aspects, my optimism still hinges on concrete steps and progress towards a full resumption of comprehensive negotiations,” she said.
Message to the public
Asked about her message to the people of Cyprus, Holguin urged active public support for the renewed efforts.
“There is no room for complacency. The world is at a turning point, with rapid and often unpredictable changes,” she said, adding that the realities on the island had shifted considerably during the years without negotiations.
“There is now an opportunity to move towards a solution to the longstanding Cyprus issue, and this opportunity should be seized not only by the leaders, but by all Cypriots,” she said.
Holguin concluded by stressing that progress will require creativity, determination and political will from both sides.
“Many on the island hope that both leaders can make history. After so many failed attempts, we must be sure this time that the process will fully succeed,” she said, warning that Cyprus and the region “cannot afford another negotiation process to end in failure”.
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