Press Releases

Today, the President of the Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, received Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations responsible for peacekeeping operations, at the Presidential Palace. Following the meeting with the President, Mr. Lacroix and the Government Spokesman made statements to the Press.

In his statement, Mr Lacroix mentioned the following:

“We had a very productive and constructive discussion with His Excellency the President of the Republic. First and foremost, we discussed the support provided by President Christodoulides and the Cypriot authorities to UNFICYP, and we express our sincere appreciation for this support. We also noted the very positive development represented by the agreement on the construction of the Arsos-Pyla road. This agreement was reached after intense consultations with both sides, and now we look forward to its implementation. UNFICYP will continue to work with both sides to ensure the successful implementation of this important agreement. We also discussed the situation in the region, and in particular the situation in Gaza. The United Nations highly values the willingness of the Republic of Cyprus to assist in the humanitarian efforts, and we welcome President Christodoulides' initiative in this regard.”

In reply to a journalist's question referring on media reports regarding the rejection by the Turkish side of the appointment of Ms Bishop as an envoy and whether this rejection pertains to the individual or the appointment of a representative in general, Mr Lacroix stated that he cannot comment on what is reported in the media but mentioned that the Secretary-General continues to actively engage with both sides.

In another question if, in the absence of negotiations, confidence-building measures are appropriate, such as on the issue of missing persons, Mr Lacroix emphasised the importance of confidence-building measures and mentioned that during his visit he will have the opportunity to meet with the Committee on Missing Persons whose work is highly appreciated. He added that "anything that can be done to help identify and resolve more cases of missing persons needs to be done and we are pushing for this to happen."

Replying to a journalist's follow-up question about how humanitarian aid will be distributed once it reaches Gaza and if the U.N. will be in charge, the Deputy Secretary-General stated that "the Secretary General in the first place and our colleagues in charge of the humanitarian efforts are actively working so that more humanitarian assistance can be delivered to the population of Gaza. And of course, it is for them with the parties to look at what better modalities can be put in place. But I can assure you that the determination to work actively in that direction is from the U.N.”

In his statement, the Government Spokesman said the following:

“The meeting between the President of the Republic and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Lacroix, has been concluded. It was a very constructive meeting during which the President of the Republic had the opportunity to discuss with the Deputy Secretary-General the efforts being made by our side to resume negotiations on the Cyprus issue from where they were left off. He once again conveyed our strong belief that the appointment of an envoy by the Secretary-General will bring significant added value. As known, our side responded positively to the appointment within the first twenty-four hours we were asked, and we believe that as soon as the other side responds, this envoy can explore the prospect of restarting negotiations. Regarding the achievement of an agreement on the situation of Pyla, Mr Lacroix expressed his satisfaction with the stance shown by the Republic of Cyprus and the President of the Republic himself in this very important development. The President of the Republic once again expressed our sincere political will to fulfil the provisions of the agreement, as these provisions will be beneficial for both communities. Finally, the President of the Republic presented to the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations the initiative undertaken by the Republic of Cyprus for the creation of a humanitarian sea corridor from Cyprus to Gaza for the uninterrupted provision of humanitarian aid, an initiative that Mr Lacroix stated he welcomes, and the United Nations fully supports and will assist us in any way possible to ensure that food and essential supplies are delivered to Gaza.”

The Government Spokesman then answered questions.

When asked about the issue of the appointment of an envoy, Mr Letymbiotis mentioned that Mr Lacroix conveyed that the Secretary-General of the United Nations remains committed to the appointment of the envoy and, in response to a follow-up question regarding information that has been made public, he reiterated that "what we know is that the Secretary-General is in constant contact with the Turkish side”, and that “there is no further information available at this time.”

In response to another question related to the President's contacts and whether there have been any developments regarding the Gaza issue, the Government Spokesman stated: "The President of the Republic had a lengthy telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr Netanyahu, last night, who views this initiative positively, and we are currently in a position to further develop this initiative on a technical level. It is very positive that both the European Institutions and the United Nations view this initiative positively. Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is traveling to Germany, where he will also raise the issue of the humanitarian corridor, and what we prioritise is to achieve the creation of the humanitarian sea corridor as soon as possible.”

Responding to a journalist's question about how the United Nations can assist the Republic of Cyprus in implementing this initiative, Mr Letymbiotis said that it will be done in any way feasible, and that the initiative concerns the direct transportation of humanitarian aid to Gaza and its reception by United Nations personnel there.

When asked if the President of the Republic had a telephone conversation with the President of France, the Government Spokesman explained that this was not possible last night but that a communication will take place in the coming days or hours.

(ASP/KK)