Pakistan: Pakistan has submitted comments at the UN Security Council that are not positive for our side, "breaking the silence procedure" on the resolution for the renewal of the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Thursday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides addressed the situation during his departure from a presidential meeting of Eurochambres at the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) in Nicosia. Responding to journalists' inquiries about a lack of consensus at the UN Security Council, which resulted in the postponement of the vote from Thursday to Friday, he explained, "What I was informed of this morning is that Pakistan has broken the silence procedure under which the resolution had been placed. It has submitted certain comments. This is a process that has taken place in the past as well, and consultations will continue."
When asked about the nature of Pakistan's comments, President Christodoulides remarked, "As you understand, in view of the country that I have mentioned, the comments are not positive for us." It is important to note that Pakistan is currently one of the 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
In response to statements by Mara ngela Holgun, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, suggesting that there will not be a broad conference on the Cyprus issue in the near future, the President stated, "From our side, we are ready both for a new trilateral meeting and for a broad conference within the duration of (Cyprus) Presidency (of the Council of the EU). The resumption of talks is the highest priority, and neither my timetable nor my will is affected in any way by the fact that we hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU."
President Christodoulides emphasized that he is reviewing his schedule to propose potential meeting dates to Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhrman. "My goal is clear: I am very well aware of my priority, which is the resumption of talks," he affirmed.
When questioned about his communication with Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis following the latter's meeting with the UN Secretary-General in New York, President Christodoulides noted that Gerapetritis had twice consulted with his Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, prior to his meeting with the Secretary-General. Due to the time difference, further discussions were anticipated to brief him on the outcomes.
Cyprus remains divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Numerous rounds of UN-led peace talks have yet to produce lasting results, with the most recent negotiations in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ending inconclusively.