UNSC called on all parties to seize the historic opportunity for a “Unified Cyprus”

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has called on all sides in Cyprus to maintain the momentum gained in the negotiations and to seize the historic opportunity for a “Unified Cyprus”.

The statement was made on behalf of the UNSC members by H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the UN and President of the Security Council for January 2017.

Skoog stated that the UNSC were pleased with the progress made in the negotiations on a Cyprus settlement in recent months, as well as in the conference in Geneva where security and guarantees were discussed for the first time.

Skoog also stated that the UNSC commended the “steadfast and courageous leadership” shown by both leaders, and thanked the UN for its critical support in the process, and reiterated its support for the work of Eide and Spehar in their active role facilitating discussion.

The Security Council members reiterated their commitment to supporting the two sides in reaching a settlement deal and extending the UNFICYP term of office. On behalf of the UNSC, Skoog urged all parties to maintain momentum and seize the historic opportunity for a “Unified Cyprus”.

The UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus and UNFICYP Head of Mission Elizabeth Spehar briefed the representatives of 15 member states about the latest developments in the negotiations for a settlement in Cyprus, at the closed session of the UNSC.

After the briefing, Eide answered questions from the media. He stated that while the pace of the Cyprus peace talks continues to increase, there are no easy solutions to the fundamental problems which are being discussed by both sides.

Eide stated that the international conference marks a “pivotal change” in the negotiation process as “all issues are on the table” at an international level, as the negotiations have entered their final phase.

Settlement and security guarantees are the most fundamental problems according to Eide, as the “Greek Cypriots consider the existence of the Turkish troops as a problem while the Turkish Cypriots consider them as a part of a solution”.

Eide said that no timeframe has been set for negotiations, but it was a very good opportunity to find a solution. If both sides’ progress does not bring about a settlement, Eide said that it would not be easy to reach such an opportunity again.