Maria Angela Holguin reappointed as UN chief's personal envoy on Cyprus

By Merve Aydoğan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) – The UN on Friday announced the reappointment of Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar of Colombia as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' personal envoy on Cyprus.

Holguin, a former Colombian foreign minister, previously held the same role from January to July 2024.

Following an informal meeting on the Cyprus issue held in Geneva in March, Guterres requested Holguin to reengage with the parties and advise him on the way forward, according to a UN statement.

"Ms. Holguin brings extensive diplomatic experience at the highest levels, including as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia (2010-2018)," the statement said.

Holguin has held several senior diplomatic positions, including Colombia's permanent representative to the UN, ambassador to Venezuela, and deputy foreign minister.

- Decades-long Cyprus problem

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

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.