UN chief's personal envoy for Cyprus visits divided island

WASHINGTON

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's personal envoy for Cyprus visited the divİded island over the weekend, a UN spokesperson said on Tuesday.

During the visit, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar met with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders as well as a broad range of interlocutors and representatives of the international community, Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"She will be holding meeting in Athens in Greece today, and then will travel on to Ankara, Türkiye on Thursday," he said, adding that she is also planning to travel to London in the near future for discussions with officials. The countries of Türkiye and Britain both serve as guarantors for the island.

Guterres last month announced the appointment of Holguin to the post. She served as Colombia’s foreign minister from 2010 to 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.