Maria Angela Holguin, a newly appointed U.N. envoy for Cyprus, promised Saturday to work hard to ensure concrete progress in measures to build trust between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Holguin also expressed hope for the revival of moribund talks to heal the island nation's half-century division.
She said her weeklong stay in Cyprus aims to generate tangible results ahead of a July meeting in Geneva that will bring together U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, along with top diplomats from Greece, Türkiye and the U.K.
Negotiations have been stalled since 2017. Trust-building measures include talks on opening new crossing points along a 180-kilometer (120-mile) U.N. control buffer zone that divides the north controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) from the Greek Cypriot south, where the internationally recognized government is seated.
Other measures that Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and TRNC President Ersin Tatar agreed to implement in front of Guterres during a March meeting in Geneva included work on a photovoltaic park inside the buffer zone, demining and restoration work on cemeteries on either side of the divide.
Cyprus was split in 1974, when Türkiye launched its Peace Operation to protect Turkish Cypriots on the island, following a coup by Athens junta-backed supporters of uniting Cyprus with Greece. Only Türkiye recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and maintains more than 35,000 troops in the island’s northern third.
Holguin said Guterres "continues to push” for a resumption of Cyprus peace talks. But that prospect faces a difficult hurdle in the form of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot insistence on a peace deal based on two equal states, instead of a federation composed of Greek and Turkish-speaking zones that formed the basis of decades of U.N.-mediated negotiations.
While Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriots say the federation idea is now bankrupt, Greek Cypriots say they won’t assent to any accord that formally partitions the island, allows for a permanent Turkish troop presence, gives Türkiye rights to militarily intervene and offers Turkish Cypriots a veto right on all government decisions. Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said, despite any hurdles, Holguin’s appointment indicates that the U.N. considers the resumption of peace talks "completely feasible.”
The current situation in Cyprus is unsustainable, according to Tatar. In a written statement last week, he lambasted the Greek Cypriot administration for using the title “Republic of Cyprus” unilaterally, which he said disrupts the “legitimate representation order on the island, prevents the Turkish side from being represented in the international arena and systematically denies equal rights.”
“This approach is contrary to international norms,” Tatar said. “It reflects a mentality against an order based on human rights.”
Turkish Cypriot people will continue their struggle to protect their state and vision despite all injustices, Tatar added. “The TRNC is an honorable member of the Turkic world, the carrier of regional stability, resistance and justice.”
