The UN Secretary-General's Representative Mission in Cyprus Extended for Three Months

The personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Maria Angela Olguin Cuéllar, will continue her mission in Cyprus for another three months. The Colombian diplomat will persist in her efforts to restart negotiations on the Cyprus issue.

The extension of the envoy's term was announced by the Athens news agency on Thursday. It is known that the diplomat met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the organization's headquarters in New York the night before. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis also participated in the meeting.

Greek media quote the UN Secretary-General as saying that he "absolutely trusts" his special representative in Cyprus and considers her an experienced diplomat who will exert maximum efforts to achieve progress, despite objections from TRNC President Ersin Tatar against extending her mission on the island.

It is expected that the Secretary-General's envoy will present her report on the outcome of the first six months of work by the end of June.

It is also reported that the Cyprus issue will be on the agenda of the Security Council under Russia's presidency in June.

As reported by Cyprus-mail, the official spokesman for the government of the Republic of Cyprus, Constantinos Letymbiotis, stated that Nicosia recognizes the commitment of the UN Secretary-General's efforts to restart negotiations, noting that President Nikos Christodoulidis was informed about the envoy's meeting with the UN Secretary-General and the Greek Foreign Minister.

Recall that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Maria Angela Olguin Cuéllar from Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus in early January. Initially, her term was set for six months. During this time, the diplomat visited the island several times and met with leaders of both communities as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations, businesses, and civil society. According to the TRNC President, there are currently no points of contact between the sides that could allow negotiations to resume.