The United Nations envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, has given an honest report on Cyprus peace talks. She said there has been little progress on confidence-building measures. Because of this, real peace talks cannot start again. Holguin met with leaders on the island. These meetings showed the big differences between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.
Ms. Holguin is trying to help solve this old problem. She had important meetings in January. She met with President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman. Then, there was a bigger meeting with both leaders and Holguin. They talked about how to start negotiations again.
The leaders discussed their concerns. They talked about the future of the peace process. They also discussed practical steps for confidence-building. Mr. Erhürman made a proposal with four points. All participants looked at this proposal carefully.
After the meetings, the UN envoy was direct. She said, "So far there is not much progress." She noted that there was no real movement on confidence-building measures. She hopes the leaders can "deliver something for the confidence-building measures." This shows the need to act quickly.
The lack of progress on confidence-building measures is a problem. It stops the UN from holding a larger conference. This conference would include other countries. People hoped the January meeting would help with these measures. Both leaders need to show they want to move forward. This is important for future talks.
The Republic of Cyprus wants to start talks again. They have a specific proposal. The Turkish Cypriot side is ready to take steps. However, small disagreements, like new crossing points, cause problems. This makes the issue seem impossible to solve. Holguin’s visit tried to fix these issues. The UN hoped for a larger conference by 2025. This now seems difficult.