UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lays a wreath at the memorial to fallen UN peacekeepers in Nicosia, Cyprus. Following his visit to Cyprus, the UN Secretary General announced the preparation of a new settlement meeting Peace and security
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, following his first visit to Cyprus, announced his intention to convene a new meeting on a settlement on the island with the participation of leaders of both Cypriot communities, as well as representatives of the guarantor countries and the UN.
Speaking to reporters in Nicosia, the UN chief recalled that in recent years negotiations took place in Geneva, Crans-Montana, Berlin and New York.
“In this context, it was my duty to come to Cyprus to express full solidarity with the people of Cyprus in their quest to find a solution,” said the Secretary-General. parties. He emphasized the importance of developing and implementing confidence-building measures that can improve the daily life of the island’s population, and called on the two leaders to intensify work in this direction.
The Secretary General noted that his Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin continues to maintain contacts with the parties, building on both previous UN efforts and interactions with the residents themselves Cyprus.
During the visit, the Secretary-General also met with representatives of various communities on the island.
“Their message was clear. They want progress. They want to see that their leaders are ready to compromise and go through the final stage towards resolving the Cyprus issue. They want a future in which this island is not defined by division, but by cooperation, opportunity and peace,” he said.
That was the spirit Guterres said was the spirit during his “frank and constructive” meetings with the two leaders, both individually and together. The UN chief reported that Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides confirmed their readiness to continue working with his Personal Envoy.
New meeting in format 5+1
Following the discussions, the Secretary General decided to convene a new meeting in the 5+1 format. We are talking about the participation of representatives of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities and the three guarantor countries (Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom), as well as the UN. However, Guterres emphasized that these negotiations will take place only after careful preparation.
“I do not want to hold new meetings in the 5+1 format without results. “I want the meeting to be successful and to pave the way to reaching a settlement,” he said, answering questions from journalists.
According to the Secretary-General, the timing of the meeting has not yet been determined.
The role of the UN and the international community
The Secretary General stressed the need to respect the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) both in the buffer zone and in the area of the UN ceasefire lines. According to him, for more than six decades, the peacekeeping mission has helped maintain calm and stability, and its effectiveness depends on the cooperation of all parties. communities.
He noted that the international community must also continue to support the settlement process.
“The United Nations cannot impose peace. But let me be absolutely clear: the United Nations remains fully committed to supporting the people of Cyprus at this critical moment for the island and the entire region,” the Secretary-General stressed. Guterres noted that the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean are undergoing a period of major geopolitical change, accompanied by ongoing conflicts and the risk of their further expansion. secretary.