Stating that her aim during her visit to the island was to establish first contact with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders and to listen to civil society actors, former negotiators, international community representatives, young people, academics and other experts, Holguin said: “Different perspectives enriched my understanding of the complexity of the situation and I want to continue listening. There are many important critical voices”, she said.
She acknowledged that the level of disappointment that many people have accumulated after various negotiation attempts is “extremely understandable“. Holguin pointed out that trust, which is the basic condition for building a future, is “seriously lacking” and emphasised that rebuilding trust is “very important“.
She noted that she later visited the capitals of two of the guarantor countries, Athens and Ankara, adding that “There are many important critical voices that I want to listen to”.
Stating that she will return to Cyprus after her visit to London in the first week of March to complete contacts with the guarantor countries, Holguin noted that she hopes to meet again with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, as well as political party leaders, chambers of commerce, and representatives of the social and economic sectors.
“I do this job with great excitement and determination”, she said.
