Cuellar to Start First Round of Contacts on the Island

The newspapers also highlight that there will be an intense preparation period for those willing to make more efforts for new negotiations. Today's news in the Greek Cypriot press stated that the next two weeks would be an intense preparation period for all stakeholders involved in the Cyprus issue, at least for those willing to make more efforts for new negotiations.

In the article titled "Aiming for Results - The First Findings Regarding Holguin Show that Her Selection by the UN was Not Random," Fileleftheros newspaper reported that Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, appointed as the UN Secretary-General's Personal Representative for the Cyprus problem, is expected to visit the island for the first round of contacts at the end of January or the beginning of February.

The newspaper noted that the initial indications about Cuellar showed that the UN Secretary-General did not make a random choice. It stated that Guterres' preference for Cuellar indicated his goal of achieving results in this effort. The article mentioned diplomatic sources indicating that Cuellar is an experienced and methodical person with important connections. It emphasized that Cuellar knows the people and situations and highlighted that information sources are not limited to the institutional stage.

Regarding the two sides in Cyprus, the newspaper wrote that the moves so far have not shown that the parties are moving in the same direction, especially that they will cooperate to contribute positively to Cuellar's mission. It claimed that while the Greek Cypriot side expects the representative's arrival, it will intensively prepare over the next 15 days, emphasizing the clarity of its positions within the UN framework.

The newspaper stated that the Greek Cypriot side has expressed its commitment to working sincerely with Cuellar and hopes that the Turkish side will also have a similar will. It claimed that the Turkish side insists on putting forward preconditions outside the UN framework.

Politis newspaper reported that Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, the UN's Personal Representative for the Cyprus problem, expressed her readiness to make a substantial contribution to the entire process of negotiations with the European Union. The newspaper also covered statements by the President of the Greek Cypriot Administration, Nikos Christodoulides, who commented on efforts to reduce the arrest of Turkish Cypriot lawyer Akan Kürşat in Italy to a political issue.

According to Politis, Christodoulides made the following allegations in his statement: "There is absolutely no ulterior motive. There is an illegal activity, an arrest warrant has been issued for this illegal activity, and this arrest warrant will be executed. This has nothing to do with negotiations. Illegality is illegality, and the effort to bring to justice all those who illegally seized Greek Cypriot properties will not stop in any way. This has nothing to do with negotiations."

In his continued statement, Christodoulides expressed that he considered the announcement of the appointment of the UN Secretary-General's representative for the Cyprus problem to be very important. He stated that Cuellar has already started her contacts and met with the Permanent Representative of Cyprus in New York.