The immediate resumption of negotiations from where they were suspended at crans-montana in 2017:ontana in 2017, based on the Guterres Framework and the convergences reached so far, is the only way to save Famagusta and achieve a peaceful settlement of the Cyprus problem, the Famagusta Municipal Council said on Friday. The Council held an extraordinary meeting in Deryneia to mark 52 years since the Turkish occupation of Famagusta and the displacement of the city's residents.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Famagusta Mayor Simos Ioannou described August 14 as 'a tragic day', when residents were forced to leave the city, saying it marked a turning point in Famagusta's three-thousand-year history. He said residents of Famagusta have remained displaced across Cyprus for 52 years and stressed the duty to honour those who died defending the city and Cyprus, as well as those who later died as refugees.
In a statement adopted at the meeting, the Municipal Council reaffirmed its support for a comprehensive Cyprus settlement based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant UN resolutions, the EU acquis and the principles and values of the European Union. It said a settlement should provide for a state with a single sovereignty, international personality and citizenship, without troops or guarantees.
The Council also condemned what it described as Turkey's illegal and provocative actions in Famagusta, saying they create faits accomplis, undermine prospects for the return of the city's lawful residents and violate relevant UN Security Council resolutions. It welcomed renewed efforts by the UN Secretary-General to resume negotiations, as well as the EU's continued support for this objective.
The Council called for negotiations to resume immediately from where they were suspended at Crans-Montana in 2017, on the basis of the Guterres Framework and the convergences reached to date. It stressed that UN-led talks are the only way to save Famagusta and achieve a peaceful settlement of the Cyprus problem. The Council also said the return of Famagusta to its lawful residents could prove key to advancing the broader peace process.
Despite 52 years of displacement, it said residents of Famagusta continue to hope that the city will once again become 'a centre of prosperity and creativity in a free and reunited Cyprus'. 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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. Mara Angela Holgun, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission's Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.