New York: The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Cyprus and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Colin Stewart, informed the members of the Security Council about the situation and recent developments in Cyprus, in view of the adoption of the resolution for the renewal of the Force’s mandate.
According to Cyprus News Agency, a press release from the Press and Information Office stated that the UN Security Council, under the presidency of the Permanent Representative of Algeria, Ambassador Amar Bendjama, held closed consultations on UNFICYP on Thursday morning that lasted an hour and a half.
Stewart provided the members of the Security Council with insights into the current situation in Cyprus during the consultations, which were held in preparation for the adoption of the resolution to renew the Force’s mandate.
The Security Council is expected to hold an open session on January 31, 2025, the date on which the UNFICYP mandate expires, to renew its term until January 31, 2026.
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.
On October 15, 2024, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hosted an informal dinner with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in New York, encouraging the leaders to consider how to bridge the gap in their positions and rebuild trust to allow movement leading to a settlement.
At the meeting, President Christodoulides and Tatar agreed to have an informal meeting in a broader format in the near future, under the auspices of the Secretary-General, to discuss the way forward. They also agreed to have a meeting in Cyprus to explore the possibility of opening new crossings. Earlier this month, it was announced that this meeting will take place on January 20, at the Chief of Mission’s Residence, in Nicosia buffer zone.