Holguin leaves Turkey out of the picture, Nicosia pushes back

Politics Cyprus problemMaria Angela Holguin CuellarNikos ChristodoulidesTop NewsTufan Erhurman Holguin leaves Turkey out of the picture, Nicosia pushes back Olgin 3 1536x1227 Relevant News Holguin leaves Turkey out of the picture, Nicosia pushes back 10 August 2026 Cyprus to pay interconnector dues once Greece issues survey notice 10 August 2026 Netanyahu says Israel won’t pull out of Gaza before Hamas disarms 9 August 2026 Andreas Bimbishis 10 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber United Nations Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin is trying to leave Turkey out of the picture in her approach to the Cyprus problem, sidestepping what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres set out as next steps during his visit to the island. Nicosia disagrees with her approach, insisting that Turkey’s return to the negotiating table must come first. In an interview with the newspaper Politis, Holguin was asked what needs to happen for a new 5+1 meeting to be convened. She said: “First, the two leaders need to keep meeting directly and regularly. […] Second, the leaders need to identify possible confidence-building measures, because this condition is indispensable. Third, the leaders and their teams need to work on substance and methodology.” An informal 5+1 conference would also involve the guarantor powers, of which only Turkey has been trying to create obstacles. Holguin skilfully avoids mentioning that such an informal multilateral conference concerns not only the two leaders in Cyprus but the guarantor powers as well. The government’s position Asked to comment on the fact that Holguin does not place Turkey in the picture, the government spokesperson said it is clear that turning the UN Secretary-General’s commitment into concrete progress and a resumption of negotiations requires genuine political will from all sides. The spokesperson noted that Guterres himself, both in his meeting with the President of the Republic and after his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, as well as in his statements before leaving Cyprus following a visit he called not only historic but particularly significant, underlined the role the guarantor powers have to play in the effort. “But what matters most, above all, is that Turkey returns to the negotiating table and realigns itself with the UN framework,” the spokesperson said, adding that Turkey, as the occupying power, unfortunately remains outside the framework set by UN Security Council resolutions, from which the Secretary-General’s own mandate derives. The spokesperson added that the government will continue its effort, as envisioned by the Secretary-General himself, in close cooperation and coordination with his personal envoy, Holguin. President Christodoulides will meet Erhurman on August 26, the spokesperson said, where they will have the opportunity to discuss elements relating to confidence-building measures. He noted that the Secretary-General’s proposal on crossing points, which Christodoulides had already accepted during Guterres’s visit, is well known, and the government hopes for sincere political will and the same constructive stance from the other side so that progress can be made there too. Palmas on political will Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas expressed hope on Sunday morning that all parties will show the same sincere political will needed to create the conditions for a return to talks. He was speaking during a memorial service at the Church of Sts Raphael, Nicholas and Irene in Pachyammos, held in memory of those who fell in the battles of Tillyria. Palmas, who represented the President of the Republic, reiterated Nicosia’s commitment to a functional and viable solution to the Cyprus problem within the agreed United Nations framework, international law and the principles and values of the European Union. He said a significant effort to restart the negotiation process is currently under way, based on what he described as the clear political will of the Republic of Cyprus. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Cyprus to pay interconnector dues once Greece issues survey notice Netanyahu says Israel won’t pull out of Gaza before Hamas disarms Cyprus Paralympian says intruder broke into her Limassol home and stole scooter Motorcyclist arrested after police chase in Larnaca Fidias Panayiotou draws criticism over attire at Isaac-Solomou memorial Five Britons remanded after 74.75kg of rolling tobacco found at Larnaca Airport Fire breaks out at Marathounta landfill site in Paphos Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.