The UNSG’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, began her meetings on the island Monday morning with a meeting with Head of UNFICYP, Colin Stewart.

In a post on X by UN Cyprus, said “the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguín Cuéllar, arrived in the UN Protected Area today. She was welcomed by the Head of UNFICYP, Colin Stewart”.

Holguin is expected to meet with the two leaders and a broad range of civil society groups.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.