UNSG says keen to revitalise efforts on Cyprus

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that he is eager to revitalise diplomatic efforts in Cyprus but is awaiting the result of the elections in the north.

Speaking before the 75th session of the UN general assembly, he stressed the need to create a positive environment.

“It is very important to develop confidence building measures and to avoid any unilateral actions that could undermine the future success of these negotiations,” he said.

Guterres added that as soon as the elections take place, he intends to reconvene with the guarantors and the two communities.

“I am totally committed to revitalise the political process,” he said.

Talks have stalled since the UN backed talks at the Swiss resort of Crans Montana collapsed in July 2017.

As for the elections in October, a poll in August showed current Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to be in the lead followed by Turkish Republican Party chairman Tufan Erhurman.

Akinci is widely seen as the most proactive in his diplomatic efforts and has made the message central to his campaign.

But rival candidate ‘prime minister’ Ersin Tatar on Tuesday night set out a different vision for the north, should he be elected.

Tatar said he would bring forward alternative proposals as regards the Cyprus problem. He has also criticised Akinci’s approach, and called for Varosha to be “liberated and revitalised”.

The pandemic means that 170 heads of state and government are due to make video statements during the week-long UN meeting starting on September 22.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.