Press Releases

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has carefully studied the content of the Reports submitted to the Security Council by the UN Secretary-General on Good Offices and the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.

We had previously conveyed the message to the UN representatives in Cyprus and New York that we expected an objective and accurate recording of the situation in Cyprus over the last six months.

This would presuppose, inter alia, that both Reports would be clear as to the need for commitment and compliance on the part of both sides as well as the Secretary-General himself in the efforts to resume negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus Problem under the agreed solution framework and on the basis of the Resolutions of the UN Security Council.

We would expect the Secretary-General to indicate who is attempting to upgrade the breakaway entity in the occupied territories, while trying to impose new faits accomplis at the expense of Cyprus and its people, and not to follow the logic of preserving a neutral stance, referring to a harshening of the rhetoric by both sides, as a result of which there can be no common ground between the two sides. The Republic of Cyprus cannot be equated with the rhetoric of Mr Ertugruloglou, Mr Tatar and the officials of Ankara.

After all, the only common ground that should guide the sides and constitute the institutional framework for resolving the Cyprus Problem is the agreed basis for a solution and the UN Resolutions, which the Secretary-General himself called for to be faithfully followed.

Nothing other than the agreed framework should be encouraged or sought or recorded by representatives of the UN Secretary-General. It is obvious that in order to be objective the Reports must not include subjective opinions and/or assessments of the representatives of the Secretary-General that are not confirmed by the facts.

Besides, the results of the recent "municipal elections" in the occupied territories have shown that the Turkish-Cypriots do not embrace the positions of Ankara regarding the two-state solution.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs looks forward to the conclusion of the discussions on the adoption of the Security Council Resolution for the renewal of the mandate of the Peacekeeping Force, which is also the institutional guide for the presence and operation of UNFICYP in Cyprus.

(MH)