Nicosia: ?nvironmental challenges in Cyprus have an impact on both communities, and inaction or postponement will result in greater damage in the future, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot political parties have said, underlining areas for joint action. The parties met on Wednesday in the framework of the bicommunal dialogue taking place under the auspices of the Embassy of the Slovak Republic.
According to Cyprus News Agency, a Joint Communique issued after the meeting said that the representatives held a discussion on the topic “There is no other Cyprus and the environment cannot wait for a solution of the Cyprus problem,” presented by the hosting bicommunal political party, Volt Cyprus. The representatives exchanged views on issues such as climate change, wildfires, water scarcity, lack of sustainable waste management, pollution, and biodiversity loss, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting.
They agreed that environmental protection cannot be placed on hold until a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem is reached, and identified priority areas for immediate and practical cooperation such as coordination in dealing with wildfires and extreme weather conditions. They also agreed that there is a need to strengthen communication, coordination, preparedness, and response mechanisms for forest fires, floods, and other natural disasters, through the upgrade of the Committee on Crisis Management (CCM).
Regarding waste management and recycling, the parties agreed on the need for developing bicommunal waste treatment facilities, joint awareness raising, exchange of expertise, and pilot projects related to solid waste, plastics, electronic, and hazardous waste treatment, building on existing recommendations and supported, where possible, by European Union-funded bicommunal initiatives.
They also agreed on the need to promote cooperation on sustainable water use, agricultural efficiency, drought preparedness, soil erosion prevention, and climate adaptation planning, in order to address shared climatic risks more effectively.
Moreover, they agreed on the need for advancing coordinated efforts for the mapping and protection of ecosystems, forests, wetlands, bird migration routes, and marine environments, recognizing that biodiversity protection requires island-wide approaches. They also agreed on the need to promote the creation of joint renewable energy infrastructure, with a special emphasis on energy reclamation from waste resources, solar panels on new infrastructures, and innovative energy projects.
The joint statement also pointed out that the parties agreed that the facilitation of adoption of the acquis communautaire across the island is extremely urgent, since it will automatically facilitate the upgrading of the island’s environmental performance and infrastructure, paving the way for further and deeper cooperation on more contested issues.
The representatives noted that many of the above areas already fall within the mandate of the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Environment, emphasizing that the committee’s potential has not been fully utilized, largely due to changing political dynamics and limited operational authority.
The representatives called on the leaders of both communities to support and facilitate the advancement of these priority areas and to enable relevant bicommunal technical mechanisms to take forward concrete cooperation without delay.
The next meeting will be hosted on 28 January 2026, and the guest speaker is set to be the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNFICYP, Khassim Diagne, as it is noted.