The government has given its consent to a United Nations proposal for the replacement of outgoing UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told CNA on Saturday.
He added that the relevant announcements will be made by the United Nations.
Stewart, who served in Cyprus since 2021 as Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force on the island (UNFICYP), stepped down this month due to retirement.
Government wants Holguín’s possible visit to take place before New York
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Asked if there are any developments in the implementation of the agreed Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), Letymbiotis reiterated the government’s readiness and desire for progress ahead of a joint meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in September in New York. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s high-level week.
Letymbiotis also referred to a possible new visit to Cyprus by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, noting that the government considers it positive and desirable for such a visit to take place before the New York meeting.
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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
An informal meeting on Cyprus in broader format was held in New York, on July 16-17, 2025. Guterres also announced that he would meet jointly with Cyprus leaders during the General Assembly high-level week, in September.
The two sides in Cyprus continue discussions on outstanding issues, including the opening of crossing points and a solar energy installation in the buffer zone. They also agreed to cooperate on a number of issues, including the exchange of cultural artifacts, while Maria Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, will continue her efforts.
