A solution to the Cyprus problem “exists”, French ambassador to the United Nations Jerome Bonnafont has said, stressing his support for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ ongoing efforts to bring about a resumption of negotiations in earnest.

“We believe that a solution exists, and we know what principles it should be based on. The challenge is to ensure that those who are in a position to bring about this solution do what is necessary,” he told Greece’s Athens Macedonian News Agency.

He added that it is in this regard that Guterres “plays a key role, providing his good offices with the help of his personal envoy”, Maria Angela Holguin.

“We support the efforts he is conducting, such as his most recent visit to Cyprus in late July, and for that to happen, there are several conditions,” he said.

Those conditions include that “confidence-building measures should be implemented”, with Holguin having said that the implementation of confidence-building measures is an “indispensable condition” to be fulfilled ahead of an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem.

Additionally, he said that “the integrity of the buffer zone must be maintained”, with Guterres himself having in July expressed “deep concern” over advances made by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot personnel into the buffer zone near the village of Pyla, and tensions having been heightened elsewhere, including west of Nicosia.

“The people must be assured that this will be respected. There have been elections in the northern part of the island last October. We were hopeful that the new de facto authorities would [be] wiling to engage in discussions with the Republic of Cyprus. It has not materialised yet,” he said.

On this front, he said that the French government is “doing everything we can to encourage the secretary-general in his efforts to convince those de facto authorities in the north and Turkey to take the necessary steps to restart positive discussions”.

“Our impression is that the population wants this evolution, and it requires courage from the political leadership to enter this new phase. We hope that the secretary-general will be able to meet them during the general assembly and obtain new results,” he said.

Erhurman demands trust be built on the ground first

This apparent reluctance of the Turkish Cypriot side to engage comes with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman insisting that trust must be built on the ground before talks in earnest begin.

He told President Nikos Christodoulides at their meeting last week to “refrain from initiatives which undermine trust”, and said after that meeting that he had “emphasised that if we wish to move the process forward, it is crucial to create the ‘conducive climate’ mentioned by Guterres”.

He had also criticised the arrests made by the Republic of people suspected of illegally using or selling property in the occupied north owned by Greek Cypriots as well as its pursuit of deepening relations with the State of Israel.