Nicosia preparing demarche over UNSG reports

Nicosia is preparing a demarche to be sent both to the UN Secretary-General and the UN Security Council over the former’s reports on Cyprus, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday.

He was referring to the UN Secretary-General’s Good Offices Mission report as well as the report on renewing Unficyp’s mandate, drafts of which UN chief Antonio Guterres has forwarded to the UN Security Council. The final texts of the reports are expected to be formally adopted by the end of the month.

Anastasiades spoke of “significant omissions” and “an unacceptable equation” in the reports.

Asked to comment on Turkish provocations, Anastasiades said the government is monitoring developments.

“They [the provocations] speak to an attempt by Turkey’s government and its allies to zealously promote their revisionist policy… but at the same time we are taking the necessary diplomatic moves in all directions, to all allies and in particular the EU.”

The president said Nicosia would not be dragged into Ankara’s game of “aggravating the climate.”

On speculative reports that Turkey might soon announce the outright annexation of the north of the island, Anastasiades said “we are calmly monitoring everything, and I think that the information we have does not lend itself to this rumour-mongering.”

Taking another question – as to whether he is in touch with the Greek Prime Minister – the president replied: “Absolutely, and we are in full coordination.”

Recently Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar sent the UNSG a four-point proposal for cooperation between the two communities in the areas of hydrocarbons, electricity, renewable energy and water.

Anastasiades called this a ploy intended to distract from the Greek Cypriot initiative for confidence-building measures.

In his draft report, the UN chief said the two sides should benefit from natural resources in and around the island, and urged cooperation between both communities on energy projects.

These resources should “constitute a strong incentive for the parties to urgently seek mutually acceptable and durable solutions to disagreements,” Guterres said in the report, which covers developments on the island from December 16, 2021 to June 14, 2022.

The report noted that public confidence in the possibility of securing a settlement on the island remained low.

The Cyprus issue has seen on-and-off peace talks in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom.