UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterates in his Good Services report his commitment to continue his efforts on the Cyprus problem, expresses his disappointment at the lack of progress in resuming the dialogue and calls on both sides not to miss other opportunities, sources have told CNA.
In the so far unofficial drafts of the two reports, on UNFICYP and his Good Services, sources said, there is an attempt by the Secretary General to keep an equal distance in order not to provoke the Turkish side in view of the appointment of an envoy for the Cyprus problem. None of the reports refers to the appointment of an envoy.
However, an objective description of the events to do with the military violations in Agios Dometios is made, which are described as advancing movements within the buffer zone, the same sources said.
Reference is also made to the incidents in Pyla, which are considered important developments as they may affect the political process, and both sides are called upon to comply with the agre
ed terms, to implement them and to continue to cooperate with the peacekeeping forces in order to maintain calm in the buffer zone.
According to the same information, the report also mentions that these events had an impact on the meetings held between representatives of the two sides on various issues.
Regarding the dialogue between the two sides, in the Good Services report, the UN Secretary-General reiterates his commitment to continue his efforts while expressing his disappointment at the lack of progress in resuming the dialogue and calls on both sides not to miss other opportunities.
In the report, reference is also made to the rapprochement between Greece and Turkey and that this may have positive effects on the Cyprus issue.
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.
Sourc
e: Cyprus News Agency
ISTANBUL: Trkiye’s automotive industry saw record sales with more than 1.2 million vehicles sold in 2023, according to data released Thursday by the Automotive Distributors’ And Mobility Association (ODMD).
The total market for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles expanded 57.4%, compared to the previous year, to 1.23 million sold.
The previous record was in 2016 with more than 983,000 vehicle sales.
Passenger car sales jumped 63.2% in 2023 from the year before to more than 967,000 vehicles, while light commercial vehicles increased 39.2% year-on-year to hit 265,000.
In December, passenger car sales rose 45.7% from the previous year to reach more than 126,000 and light commercial vehicles saw a gain of 13.3% to over 32,000.
That brought the total number of vehicle sales to more than 158,000 in 2023 — a 37.7% increase from the same month in 2022.
Source: Anadolu Agency