Assistant UNSG expected on fact-finding mission

Assistant UN Secretary General Rosemary Di Carlo will visit Cyprus this autumn for a fact-finding mission on the instruction of UNSG Antonio Guterres, government spokesman Marios Pelekanos announced on Monday.

Speaking to CyBC radio, Pelekanos said the goal of Di Carlo’s visit is to keep the process for resolving the Cyprus issue alive, despite Turkey’s unacceptable attitude.

Pelekanos mentioned that after Di Carlo’s visit further visits from other UN officials are expected. He also emphasised that the Cypriot government will not give up its efforts to convince Turkey to return to the discussion table.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday agreed to send a deputy to Cyprus to help with ongoing efforts to jump-start stagnant talks after meeting President Nicos Anastasiades in New York.

Asked about the cancellation of a meeting between Anastasiades and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Pelekanos said that if Putin had not called for partial mobilisation, the scheduled meeting would have taken place. Brussels ordered all bilateral meetings with Russia on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last week be cancelled.