Colombian diplomat María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar officially resumes her role as the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus as of May 12. She is expected to return to the island later this month, in what will be her first visit following her reappointment by António Guterres.

Holguín faces a particularly difficult task, given the positions of Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Ankara, both of whom continue to advance demands that fall outside the United Nations framework for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

According to statements made on May 11, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, has already been in contact with Holguín to tentatively schedule a meeting during her upcoming visit. This indicates that preparations for her return are actively underway.

Meanwhile, discussions between Christodoulides and Tatar regarding confidence-building measures (CBMs) are proceeding at a sluggish pace. Although the two leaders had agreed—under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General in Geneva—on a set of six CBMs, only two have materialized in the meetings that followed.

The first was the creation of a bicommunal Youth Committee, a decision reached at their April 2 meeting. The committee held its first session on May 5 at the Ledra Palace, with both leaders visiting the young participants.

The second area of agreement was the restoration of cemeteries. Christodoulides confirmed that both sides had agreed to clean and restore 30 cemeteries—15 in the government-controlled areas and 15 in the occupied areas.

On the issue of crossing points, the President proposed the opening of a pedestrian crossing in Nicosia as a first step. Specifically, he suggested a new crossing point on Lidinis Street, near the new Nicosia Town Hall. However, the Turkish Cypriot leader rejected the proposal, according to information obtained by OffsiteNews.

Tatar also dismissed two additional proposals: a joint statement on the "Pyla Agreement"—reached on October 9, 2023, but later backtracked by the Turkish Cypriot side—and the implementation of a water-sharing agreement for treated water from the Mia Milia treatment plant, based on a 2011 deal.

As the President explained, the original agreement allocated 70% of the treated water to the government-controlled areas and 30% to the occupied areas. Following a €11 million payment from the Republic of Cyprus, the actual distribution shifted to 80-20%. However, implementation remains stalled.