María Ángela Holguín, the personal envoy on Cyprus of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, has said the island is at once very far from and very close to an agreement on the Cyprus problem. Stressing that a solution rests with Cypriots themselves, she said: "We can only offer support and remain committed to helping them succeed."
Holguín explained that a deal remains distant because there is currently not enough political will to seriously tackle the difficult issues that must be resolved for a comprehensive settlement. At the same time, she said, a solution is close because both sides know their interests and understand how these could be brought together. She noted that the leaders' meetings had not produced progress on crossing points or other confidence-building measures (CBMs), and that no steps had been taken towards agreeing the methodology needed before any negotiating process.
Asked about the seven proposals referred to by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman and the 19 proposals put forward by Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, Holguín said the leaders could talk about 4, 5, 7, 10 or 19 proposals, but the real issue was not the number. What matters, she said, is whether the leaders have the capacity and political will to agree on some or all of them and, more importantly, to implement them. Pointing to the political calculations shaping the leaders' decisions, she argued that change depends on living together in a reunited Cyprus becoming more important than those calculations.
Responding to criticism from the Greek Cypriot side that she is not permanently on the island, Holguín said she does not need to attend the leaders' meetings or relocate to Cyprus for the dialogue to continue, since the purpose of the bilateral meetings is to let the leaders talk one-on-one and discuss issues freely. "My role is to facilitate talks between the parties. My mission is to help them find common ground so they can move forward. I am not part of the dialogue, nor do I personally take part in negotiations," she said, adding that she hopes both communities will prioritise what unites them rather than a painful past, and that she believes in Cypriots' capacity to build a common future.
Holguín described practical cooperation, political will and a Cypriot-owned process as prerequisites for a settlement, and expressed hope that the trilateral meeting on 9 November would encourage agreement on the initiatives discussed by the two leaders. While welcoming the leaders' meetings of recent months and saying direct dialogue is always useful, she recalled that actions matter more than words and said those meetings had not shown the political will needed to change the status quo, which is why she keeps urging the leaders to implement CBMs.
She said the resumption of negotiations depends on both sides and that the final decision lies with them. According to Holguín, the situation today differs from 2024, as both sides are trying to create the conditions for negotiations that could end the island's division. She acknowledged that years of repeated failure have caused frustration, but said they have also raised awareness of the two communities' fears, vital interests and concerns over their prosperity. Referring to regional and global developments, she voiced hope that the leaders would be ready to take the step themselves before major pressure builds, noting that the list of CBMs has been on the table for many years and that the work of the technical committees addresses urgent needs in specific areas.
