The message conveyed by the UN Secretary‑General’s visit to Cyprus is that the international community is investing in the prospect of a solution, not in the perpetuation of the status quo, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.
Invited to comment on the significance of the Secretary‑General’s visit -the first in 16 years- Letymbiotis, speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, said it will be an important opportunity to assess the progress of the Secretary‑General’s initiative to date. He added that our side “looks forward with interest to the directions he will outline regarding the continuation of the process and the next steps”.
He stressed that the momentum now building creates the conditions for progress, but also highlights the responsibility of all involved to respond to this prospect.
In his statement the Spokesman said that "the visit of the Secretary‑General of the United Nations to Cyprus constitutes a particularly important development, both in terms of the substance of the contacts and for the strong political symbolism it conveys."
He confirmed that "the new initiative he [Guterres] personally undertook remains active, is evolving, is gaining continuity and maintains its momentum. The visit will be an important opportunity to assess the initiative’s course so far, and we await with interest the directions he will highlight regarding the continuation of the process and the next steps.”
This development is part of a broader and steadily strengthening international mobility around the Cyprus issue, he said, adding that "the Secretary‑General’s initiative, the more active involvement of the European Union, the appointment of an EU Commission Envoy for the Cyprus issue, and the clear linkage of progress in EU‑Turkey relations to the Cyprus issue compose a new political environment. An environment to which the President’s initiatives for a more active and substantive EU engagement, for using EU‑Turkey relations as a catalyst for progress, and for keeping the Cyprus issue high on the international agenda have contributed decisively.”
The Spokesman remarked that “two significant international pillars, the United Nations and the European Union, are being activated in parallel and operate complementarily toward the shared goal of creating the conditions for progress on the Cyprus issue, under the initiative undertaken by the UN Secretary‑General.”
He clarified that this development is not circumstantial, but “it reflects the formation of a broader international dynamic that strengthens the prospects of the process. It is the result of persistent diplomatic effort, continuous contacts and a consistent strategy aiming to mobilize all available international and European levers toward a solution”.
“The Republic of Cyprus”, he added, “is steadfast in its dedication to protecting the negotiating acquis, to international law, to the United Nations agreed framework for a solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality as set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions. With consistency and credibility we are working so that the next expanded conference will become a substantive springboard for the resumption of negotiations from the point at which they were interrupted.”
The current conjuncture, the Spokesman added, "makes it even clearer that progress on the Cyprus issue and progress in EU‑Turkey relations rest on the same fundamental principles: respect for international law, United Nations decisions and the obligations deriving from them. This is the common starting point and the common duty.”
The message being sent is clear, he said, that "the international community is investing in the prospect of a solution and not in the perpetuation of the status quo. The momentum being generated creates the conditions for progress, but at the same time highlights the responsibility of all parties to respond to that prospect.”
Our side, Letymbiotis noted, “has demonstrated by its actions its will and readiness. The question now is whether everyone will choose to align with the collective international effort and the agreed framework.”
The coming period, he said, "will show whether there will be a response to this collective international effort through substantive moves consistent with the agreed framework, international law, and the principles, values, acquis and Law of the EU."
He assured that "we will continue to work with consistency, credibility and sincere political will so that the momentum created is transformed into substantive progress toward the liberation and reunification of our homeland”
