UN urges guarantor powers to support dialogue, cooperation for Cyprus dispute

By Betul Yuruk

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - The climate between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and vis-à-vis the United Nations, has "deteriorated" in the absence of "constructive or harmonized" messages from the two leaders, according to UN chief.

Antonio Guterres urged guarantor powers -- Türkiye, Greece, the UK -- to support dialogue and cooperation for the decades-long dispute on the divided island of Cyprus.

“In the continued absence of substantive dialogue on the Cyprus issue between the two sides and given the prevailing socio-economic and political climate, prospects for reaching common ground on the Cyprus peace process remain uncertain for the time being,” he said in his latest report seen by Anadolu Agency. “The positions of the two sides remain far apart and both sides maintain their opposing views about the way forward.”

No agreement has yet been found regarding the modalities for the appointment of a UN envoy, who could explore ways to reach common ground toward resuming negotiations for a lasting settlement in Cyprus, said Guterres.

He said the political landscape has been further complicated by disputes and statements regarding areas in and adjacent to the buffer zone and in the fenced-off coastal area of Maras, or Varosha in Greek, which had virtually become a ghost town, as it remained cut off from the world for 47 years.

A portion of the region, about 3.5% of its total area, was reopened in October 2020. Maras was abandoned after a 1984 UN Security Council resolution that said only original inhabitants could resettle in the town.

Guterres urged all parties to avoid unilateral actions that could heighten tensions and reiterated that natural resources in and around the island should benefit both communities.

“The situation on the island is compounded by ongoing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean region, including with respect to competing maritime zone claims and a worsening of relations between guarantor powers Greece and Türkiye,” he said. “Beginning in October, however, hardening demands related to the status of the north and political rhetoric in the south in the context of electoral campaigning increased perceived psychological barriers to cooperation.”

Guterres encouraged Cypriots to engage actively in shaping the future of the island with pragmatism, despite the current atmosphere.

“Continued and serious efforts are needed to find a mutually acceptable way forward to ultimately bring the Cyprus issue to a settlement and bring peace and prosperity to all,” he said, urging guarantor powers to support dialogue and cooperation between the two communities.

"I believe that only genuine progress towards reaching a consensus starting point for meaningful, results-oriented negotiations leading to a settlement will reassure Cypriots as well as the international community that a peaceful and shared future on the island truly remains possible," he added.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted the UN’s Annan plan to end the longstanding dispute.