The most important thing is to listen, not only to the leaders, but also to the people, says the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General
The most important thing is to listen, not only to the leaders, but also to the people and civil society, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguín Quellar said on Tuesday.
In her statements in the occupied territories after her meeting with the Turkish leader – which lasted two hours – Ms. Holgin spoke of a "very good meeting" with Ersin Tatar, while stating that "now we have to think the future".
As reported in the occupied territories, Ms. Holgin in her brief statement to journalists reiterated that this is her first visit to Cyprus after being appointed Personal Envoy by the Secretary-General and said that she will try to help so that discussions can resume on a common ground.
"What I am going to do is to listen to the people, to listen to the civil society, the needs of the people, what they want. This is what I learned after the peace process in Colombia, where I participated. The most important thing is to listen. Not only the leaders, we must listen to the people and civil society. Why leaders must seek common ground. We are going to help. We are here to facilitate and I am very happy to do so" he said.
Ms Holgin said she recognized all the efforts made in the past "and now we have to think about the future".
The UN Secretary-General's Envoy was awaited by a Turkish delegation from the Turkish Peace Association and the regional youth secretariat of the RTK in occupied Nicosia, shortly after the Ledra Pallas roadblock, holding banners with slogans such as "We want a federation", "United Federal Cyprus", "We the T/k support a federal solution".
The Speaker of the Parliament Mrs. Annita Dimitriou received the Ambassador of Lebanon in Cyprus
The EU side is committed to resuming talks, says the President of the Parliament
The commitment of the Greek side to the goal of resuming negotiations to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem was underlined today by the President of the House of Representatives, Annita Dimitriou, during her meeting with the Ambassador of Lebanon, Claude El Hajal, on the occasion of the inauguration of her duties as Rector of the Diplomatic Corps in Cyprus.
According to an announcement by the legislative body, the President of the Parliament, referring to the current visit of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization to Cyprus, underlined the commitment of the Greek side to the goal of resuming negotiations to achieve a solution to the Cyprus problem, within the agreed framework and in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions for the benefit of the entire Cypriot people.
Subsequently, views were exchanged on the escalating tension in the Middle East, the refugee-immigrant issue, as well as other issues of wider interest, the announcement concludes.