New UN envoy expected to be named Monday

A new suggested UN envoy to aid in restarting the dialogue between Turkish and Greek Cypriots is expected to be named on Monday, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.

Speaking to state broadcaster CyBC, Letymbiotis declined to directly confirm or deny reports that the appointee was a female former foreign minister of a South American state.

Letymbiotis said that there was nothing new yet but that an announcement was expected shortly, as per discussions between President Nikos Christodoulides and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in Dubai on Friday, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit.

“Our side is ready to assent to the appointee provided two conditions are met, that of willingness [to help forge a solution] and objectivity,” Letymbiotis said.

Asked about the terms of the assignment for the envoy, he said that the scope of the work would be bound by UN security council resolutions.

“The general secretary himself is bound to operate within the UN framework, there is no ability to deviate from this, and so of course for the envoy,” Letymbiotis said.

It is not possible to predict the response of the Turkish Cypriot side and no information has been gleaned on this so far, he said. The spokesman noted that this was the first time the Turkish Cypriot side had objected to the role being taken up by a member of the commonwealth.

“A significant milestone will be the meeting of the EU council in December, where relations between Turkey and the EU will be on the agenda,” Letymbiotis also said, noting that any appointment of a UN envoy would “set in motion” the appointment of an EU representative for the matter.

“We hope to start the first contacts as soon as possible, to examine prospects of restarting talks,” the government spokesman said.

“Our intent is a fast-paced agreement [to the appointment of the envoy] unless there are particular reasons for objection,” he said.

The government spokesman had earlier told the Cyprus News Agency that Christodoulides had conveyed to the UNSG the need for an appointment as soon as possible, particularly in light of developments in the buffer zone in Ayios Dhometios, where the illegal installation of a camera and antenna by Turkish troops still remains.