President Nikos Christodoulides met with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Monday evening at an event a Ledra Palace hosted by the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (Unficyp), in what is the two leaders’ first meeting since last July.
First to arrive at the end-of-year dinner hosted by Unficyp chief Colin Stewart was Christodoulides, who arrived with his wife Philippa Karseras at 7:20pm. Tatar and his wife Sibel followed shortly after.
Stewart welcomed the two leaders, and all three took a picture together.
Ambassadors and civil society members attended the event.
The last time the two leaders met was on July 28, when both visited the anthropological laboratory at the committee of missing persons (CMP).
Monday’s meeting is happening at a time when the UN is expected to announce the next envoy for the Cyprus problem, pegged to be former Colombian foreign minister Maria Cuellar.
Both sides have accepted the appointment of the envoy, following the Turkish Cypriot side’s rejection of the first name tabled, former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop.
Earlier on Monday, Tatar greenlighted the appointment of Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar as the new UN envoy to Cyprus.
According to reports in the north, Tatar informed the United Nations on Sunday evening of his approval for the former foreign minister of Colombia to take on the role.
Cuellar will be tasked with investigating whether there is common ground between the two sides to enable the launch of a new negotiation process.
On Saturday, President Nikos Christodoulides said he discussed the appointment of a new envoy with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, adding that Cuellar is expected to visit the island at the start of the new year.
The call, which took place on Friday evening, saw Christodoulides convey the Greek Cypriot side’s readiness for the immediate start of Cyprus talks after the announcement of the personality selected as envoy by the UN Secretary General.
Cuellar served as foreign minister of Colombia between 2010 and 2018 and was also head of the Colombian mission to the UN and the ambassador of her country to Venezuela.
Cyprus’ government had previously consented to the appointment.
