The Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations, Ambassador Andreas Hadjichrysanthou has expressed disappointment over the UNSG’s recent reports on the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (Unficyp) and the Secretary-General’s Good Offices Mission, noting that there is no mention anywhere of a Cyprus settlement.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency on Monday, the Ambassador focused on three key points, the reports should have emphasised.

“First, there is no explicit, clear mention of the basis of a solution. Secondly, the gravity of the situation in Varosha, with the ongoing violations by the Turkish side, with the obvious aim of absorbing and exploiting this region economically, is not outlined. The third point we are not happy with is that the report contains no reference to future prospects, as the political process is concerned, because there is no political process,” Hadjichrysanthou said.

He added that Turkey refuses to negotiate unless its preconditions to recognise the sovereign equality and equal international status for the north are met, which, according to the Ambassador, comprises a clear violation of Security Council resolutions. “We cannot accept such a thing,” he said.

While Turkey remains intransigent, its violations on the ground continue and the report describes things in a way as if there is an attempt to normalise the existing regime, for example through the work of the technical committees, he added.

Hadjichrysanthou pointed out that the Cyprus issue is not a problem created by the lack of trust between the two sides, but rather a problem caused by a foreign invasion and occupation.

He said “these reports are more problematic than the previous ones because they suggest that the only thing we can do now, instead of sitting at the negotiating table and trying to solve the Cyprus problem, is for the two sides to cooperate.”

The Ambassador expressed the hope that the reports to be voted on July 28 will contain a strong verbal condemnation of the ongoing violations in Varosha and will also encourage the Secretary General to continue with efforts to resume negotiations.