Our View: Government turns its fire on UN envoy

The government could not allow the meeting of Maria Angela Holguin with the representative of the Turkish government, Ali Burak Basceri, in the occupied area, to pass without comment. This was not possible after the Turkish ‘embassy’ posted a photo on ‘X’ of Holguin sitting with Basceri in his office on. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, said that President Nikos Christodoulides conveyed his “strong discomfort” about the meeting to Holguin when he met her on Tuesday, before declaring the meeting “unacceptable” and an “unfortunate moment.” It was a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 550, he said, to put the government’s reaction in context. Deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou was on the same frequency on Wednesday, telling CyBC radio that the meeting was a “serious diplomatic and political slip.” As the envoy of the UN Secretary-General, she was “obliged to show basic respect for the resolutions of the Security Council.” Resolution 550 did not recognise any status to the occupied area, and therefore the so-called Turkish embassy was “invalid and illegal.” The government felt duty-bound to protest, because this has become the tradition. It also protests when a foreign dignitary visits the office of the Turkish Cypriot leader because it supposedly downgrades the Republic and upgrades the pseudo-state. The correct procedure always takes precedence for the Cyprus government, even if it slows down the process. Related Articles • Erhurman accuses Christodoulides of attempting to sideline UN proposals • Holguin meets Erhurman as Turkish foreign minister expected in Cyprus on Friday • Christodoulides ‘strongly dissatisfied’ with Holguin over meeting with Turkish envoy • Holguin: ‘I came to ask Christodoulides some questions’ • Kyrenia municipality condemns exclusion from UN envoy talks In this case, the deputy foreign minister of Turkey, Mehmet Kemal Bozay wanted to pass on a message to Holguin, about Ankara’s stance. He did not show up so the message was conveyed by the ‘ambassador.’ Holguin may have lost two days of work – at a time of intensive consultations – travelling to Ankara to meet with Bozay, so it made sense to have the meeting in Nicosia, even if it would upset the Cyprus government. There is a possibility the government took the opportunity to have another dig at Holguin. Journalists close to the presidential palace had started taking swipes at the UNSG’s personal envoy before she had even arrived on the island. She was criticised for her letter that blamed the leaders for the lack of progress and when she arrived, she was given bad press for having ignored the request of the Famagusta mayor for a meeting. A couple of days ago, a journalist who is regularly briefed by the presidential palace wrote that Holguin was searching for an exit. Her moves of the last week “showed that she was trying to disengage from the Cyprus issue without being tarnished and without being loaded with any responsibilities.” This was why, the writer claimed, “she attempted to pass the message that the two leaders were to blame for the continuing deadlock.” Could this be a sign that the blame game has started, before the meeting of the two leaders with Holguin?