UN Secretary-General's personal envoy María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar described her meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman on Monday as "very productive," as preparations continue for the arrival of António Guterres in Cyprus.
The meeting began at 11am at the Turkish Cypriot leader's office.
According to Turkish Cypriot news website Yeni Düzen, Holguín was received by "Presidency" Undersecretary Mehmet Dana.
'Very productive conversation'
Speaking after the meeting, Holguín said her discussion with Erhürman had been particularly productive.
Referring to Guterres' arrival on the island later on Monday, she noted that the UN chief will hold separate meetings with the two leaders on Tuesday before attending a joint dinner with them in the evening.
Holguín said the purpose of Guterres' visit is to continue the United Nations' good offices mission in Cyprus.
She added that the Secretary-General aims to support ongoing efforts on the Cyprus issue and help advance the process in a way that could pave the way for the resumption of comprehensive negotiations.
According to Holguín, Guterres will listen carefully to the positions of both leaders and place particular emphasis on assessing whether sufficient common ground exists for the restart of substantive talks.
Diplomatic contacts ahead of Guterres visit
Earlier on Monday, Holguín met President Nikos Christodoulides as part of a series of separate contacts with the two leaders ahead of the UN chief's arrival.
The envoy has been conducting intensive diplomatic consultations in recent days, including meetings in Brussels with European Commission officials and in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Her latest visits form part of ongoing efforts to gauge the prospects for moving the Cyprus process forward before Guterres holds talks with both sides.
