Cuellar announced as UN ‘personal envoy’ to Cyprus

United Nations Secretary-general Antonio Guterres announced on Friday evening the appointment of Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar as his “personal envoy” to Cyprus.

The announcement was made by his spokeswoman Stephanie Tremblay, who said Guterres had asked Holguin “to take on the role of a good offices mission on his behalf to find common ground on the way forward and to advise him on the Cyprus problem.”

Reacting to the news, President Nikos Christodoulides said he “welcomes” the appointment “with satisfaction”.

He added that he “remains determined to continue working with a clear political will, both for the resumption of talks on the agreed basis and for concluding the talks and finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of UN resolutions, and the authorities and values of the European Union.”

The specific wording of Cuellar’s role, that of a “personal envoy” rather than a “special envoy”, seems to satisfy the Turkish Cypriot side’s position on the matter.

Turkish Cypriot Leader Ersin Tatar had spent much of the Autumn calling for the appointment of a “personal envoy” rather than a “special envoy” after the Republic had recommended the appointment of the latter.

However, his reaction to Cuellar’s appointment on Friday evening was cooler than that of Christodoulides.

He said he “will accept” the appointment of Cuellar, adding that he will do so “within the framework of the previously agreed upon conditions, and will hold consultations with this understanding.”

He added that he had demanded that Cuellar’s period of work would not exceed six months, and that “her sole duty would be to investigate whether there is common ground between the two sides, to move on to a new and official process.”

“A new and official negotiation process can only be begun by confirming the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status,” he said.

Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar previously served as foreign minister of her home country Colombia between 2010 and 2018, and was also head of the Colombian mission to the UN and ambassador to Venezuela.