UN chief's personal envoy on Cyprus to visit Island soon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The newly appointed personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus will pay her first visit to the Island "over the weekend," an official said on Friday.

"Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar will travel to Cyprus over the weekend for her first visit to the island since taking up her mandate earlier this month," spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

On Jan. 30, she will meet with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar, respectively, he added.

"During her stay, Miss Holguin will also engage with a broad range of interlocutors from local actors to civil society, including women and youth groups," Dujarric said.

Earlier this month, UN chief Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Holguin as his personal envoy on Cyprus.

Holguin served as minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia between 2010-2018.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.