Diplomatic preparations ahead of Antonio Guterres' visit to Cyprus
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to visit Cyprus from July 27 to 29, 2026. In preparation for this mission, the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, recently met with the European Commission's newly appointed special representative for Cyprus, Raffaele Fitto, in Brussels. Following these talks, Holguin is set to travel to Ankara to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on July 24, aiming to facilitate progress on the Cyprus issue and coordinate logistics for the upcoming UN-led political process.
The visit marks the first time a UN Secretary-General has traveled to the island since 2010. During the trip, Guterres will hold separate meetings with President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, followed by a joint meeting scheduled for July 29 at the Nicosia airport UN premises. To prepare for these negotiations, President Christodoulides has convened the National Council and will travel to Athens on July 25 to coordinate strategy with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The European Commission has expressed its full support for these efforts, emphasizing the importance of aligning the process with UN frameworks and EU legal principles.