British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reaffirms, in his letter to the President of the Republic, his country’s support for the Cyprus issue settlement process under the auspices of the UN and shares the disappointment of President Anastasiades in relation to the unilateral actions of the Turkish side in the fenced area of the town of Varosha, Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos said in a written statement on Monday.
According to Pelekanos, in his recent reply letter to the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, the British Prime Minister “reaffirms his country’s support for the Cyprus problem’s settlement process under the auspices of the UN.”
“Prime Minister Johnson also reiterates London’s position in favour of the known parameters for a settlement, based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, which can address the concerns of all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots,” Pelekanos says. “He categorically rejects the ‘two-state solution’ put forward by the Turkish side,” he adds.
He also notes that the British Prime Minister “highlights the importance of building trust that would facilitate finding common ground and, in this context, welcomes the proposals of the President of the Republic to the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Ersin Tatar, for mutually beneficial Confidence-Building Measures, characterising as disappointing the fact that they were not received positively by the Turkish Cypriot side.” London, Pelekanos adds, expresses the hope that the pursuit of mutually acceptable Confidence Building Measures, within the framework of the agreed parameters governing the resolution of the Cyprus issue, would be a step in the right direction.
Furthermore, the Spokesperson notes, Johnson states that he shares the disappointment of President Anastasiades in relation to the unilateral actions of the Turkish side in the fenced town Varosha and stresses that London believes that these should cease and be reversed, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council as well as the relevant Statement by the President of the Security Council.
UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. UN Security Council resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.The Turkish Cypriot leadership announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha. A few months earlier, on October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. The UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action, while the UN Secretary General, in his latest report on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, reiterated his concern over developments in the fenced-off area, noting that the position of the UN on Varosha remains unchanged. The EU also expressed grave concern.
The British Government has repeatedly urged Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership to refrain from actions that could undermine the chances of a political settlement of the Cyprus issue, while it will continue to closely monitor the situation and oppose any destabilising actions in Varosha or in the wider Eastern Mediterranean, Johnson said in his letter, according to Pelekanos.
In his letter, the British Prime Minister also refers to the continuing development of bilateral relations between Cyprus and the United Kingdom, including the implementation of the Agreement on the Non-Military Development of the British Bases area, praising the personal involvement of the President of the Republic in achieving this agreement, the Spokesman said.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency