A written statement issued by the UN Spokesperson’s Office regarding the appointment said that Guterres had “requested Cuellar to assume the role of goodwill to find common ground on the Cyprus issue on his behalf and asked him to give him advice on the Cyprus issue“.
It was also noted that the former Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs had high-level experience in diplomacy.
Cuellar, who served as the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2010 and 2018, speaks Spanish, English and French.
Unlike the Special Envoy for Cyprus, Personal Representative Cuellar is expected to receive her mandate directly from Guterres rather than from the UN Security Council.
Her post is expected to last six months only, a special stipulation made by President Ersin Tatar.
