Day: March 6, 2024

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides is departing on Wednesday afternoon for Bucharest, Romania, where he will participate in the works of the European People's Party (EPP) Conference taking place on March 6 and 7. According to an announcement from the Presidency, President Christodoulides will address the EPP Plenary Session on March 7, focusing on topics including the Future of Europe and the European elections. "On the sidelines of the EPP proceedings, the President is expected to hold meetings with leaders of EU member states participating in the EPP and with representatives of EU institutions," it says. President Christodoulides will return to Cyprus in the afternoon of March 7. Source: Cyprus News Agency

UNFICYP, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 and although it was supposed to be on the island for a short period of time, its servicemen and women are still here, making it one of the longest-running UN Peacekeeping missions in the world. This year marks the 60th anniversary of its establishment and various events are taking place to commemorate all those who lost their lives serving on the island, to pay tribute to the veterans and to reflect on UNFICYP's mission and goals. Veteran peacekeepers from various countries returned to Cyprus to be decorated and spoke to Cyprus News Agency about their experiences and memories. Cyprus News Agency also spoke to academics who explained the importance of resolution 186 for the establishment of the UN peacekeeping force, its historical context its legal aspect. Resolution 186 was unanimously adopted at the 1102nd session by the Security Council in 1964, by which it noted that the situation in Cyprus was likely to threaten international peace and security, and recommended the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), with the consent of the government of Cyprus. The Council also called on all member states to refrain from any action or threat of action likely to worsen the situation in the sovereign Republic of Cyprus or to endanger international peace, asked the government of Cyprus, which had the responsibility for the maintenance and restoration of law and order, to take all additional measures necessary to stop violence and bloodshed in Cyprus, and called upon the communities in Cyprus and their leaders to act with the utmost restraint. The veterans, their service and memories ------ Anders Arvidsson of Sweden is now 80. He was a 20 year old boy and came to Cyprus in the summer of 1964 to serve for 7 months. Sweden was one of the first countries to contribute to the first UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus. Anders Arvidsson returned to receive the vetera n's award at the UNFICYP 60 years ceremony, leading a large group of 42 veterans from his country. He served in Tylliria, Kato Pyrgos, Lefka for the first 3 months and then in Famagusta. "I remember everything. When you're young you don't care. It was dangerous, we knew it. There were tensions, fights, confrontations. When there was a confrontation between two villages we were ordered to mediate, to stop the shooting and contribute in the negotiations', he said. He also said that they had to offer medical assistance and transfer patients to the nearest hospitals. Arvidsson spoke of the ties between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots who left their villages saying that they had grown up together. 'They were alike, they were Cypriots. Ok, one might go to church and the other to the mosque, but then in the afternoon they would play ball together. Maybe one went to a private school and the other to another school, but in the afternoon they studied together', he said. They were friends, the Swedish former pea cekeeper said. 'That was never - not even then - a problem. The problem was directed from above. That's what I believe," he told the Cyprus News Agency. The 80-year-old veteran Swede has been visiting Cyprus ever since. In fact, he said, for the last 30 years he has been organising trips with other veterans and they come to see the island with their families. Two Dutchmen, Colonel Ralf Tieken, commander of the Dutch division of 100 soldiers at the time and Lieutenant Elizabeth Schiltmans, in charge of a group of 10 soldiers, served at the same time in Cyprus from June 2000 for 4 months. Schiltmans was in fact the only woman deputy commander at the time. There were women, but in the administration, she said, not in the army. Tieken, who had served in the former Yugoslavia in 1994-1995 said that there was no violence and the general effort was to keep things calm and peaceful. It was a strange feeling when she saw the dividing line for the first time, Schiltmans said. "We were in the buffer zone, where ever ything was left as it was in 1974'', she said. Before Cyprus, in 1996 she had served in Bosnia and after Cyprus in 2005, she served in Afghanistan. Gabriiel Enriquo Acosta came from Argentina and served from August 2017 to February 2018 near Skouriotissa. He told the Cyprus News Agency that things were quiet, without much trouble and they only faced some isolated incidents with farmers within the buffer zone or hunters in the hunting season. Acosta met his wife here, a Greek Cypriot, they got married and he has a 6-year-old son. "I prefer living here. People are very nice. The job is safe, the pay is good," he said. Academics and their take on the UN resolution ------ The resolution was a victory for the Greek Cypriot side, Petros Papapolyviou, associate professor of Modern Greek History and Archeology at the University of Cyprus, told the Cyprus News Agency. But he noted that the resolution was prompted by the "rapid developments" that occurred on the island. It was preceded, he noted, in November 19 63 by the proposal of Archbishop Makarios for the revision of the Constitution, the well-known 13 points, which were immediately rejected by Turkey. He referred to the inter-communal conflicts on December 21, 1963, which went down in history as Bloody Christmas. Papapolyviou said that after the start of the conflicts, the Turkish Cypriot went into enclaves and there was an effort by Makarios and Fazil Kçk, then vice president to calm the situation, which unfortunately turned out to be fruitless and on New Year's Eve came the drawing of the Green Line in Nicosia by the then commander of the British Forces in Cyprus, General Young. He explained that this led to the resignation from the government of Kucuk and all Turkish Cypriot members of the Cabinet. Papapolyviou spoke about the London Conference in January 1964 where the proposal to bring a large NATO force to Cyprus was supported by Turkey, Greece - which was then in the pre-election period - and the Greek side, but was refused by Archbishop Makarios, con sidering that there have been NATO forces in Cyprus since 1960 through the three guarantor forces and their missions. He said that UNFICYP was supposed to be on the island for three months but these three months turned into 60 years. The professor noted that the most important thing was that this resolution recognized as the legitimate government of the Republic of Cyprus, the then government of Archbishop Makarios. The international organization is in dialogue with the legitimate government and it is essentially the only representative of the island, he said. Since then, he added, the Turkish side considers this resolution as a "black mark" and referred to the frequent related statements of the current Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar. He noted, however, that at the time Turkey was forced to accept this resolution which was unanimously approved by the UNSC, although in the first years it reacted against the renewal of UNFICYP's mandate, which weakened over time. Papapolyviou expressed the opinion that although the resolution was a victory, we undermined it. He also said that resolutions are there, however conditions change. Associate Professor of International Law and Human Rights Law at the Law Department of the University of Cyprus, Aristotle Constantinides told the Cyprus News Agency that it was the first time after the withdrawal of the Turkish Cypriots from the government, that the issue of how the Republic of Cyprus is legally represented internationally was raised, and the international community, with resolution 186 , accepted that the Makarios government, despite the withdrawal of the Tc's , is the one that legally represents Cyprus internationally. He spoke of the importance of the resolution, because the consent of the Makarios government was requested for the establishment of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus. According to Constantinides, the fact that the UN General Assembly indirectly but clearly accepted consent to be given by the government that was not in accordance with the 1960 Cons titution, is an indirect acceptance by the UN, the most important international organization, of the state of affairs that developed after the departure of the Turkish Cypriots. Constantinides also said that the appointment of a mediator, first introduced by Resolution 186, is a standard practice of the UN and the Secretary-General to mediate between conflicting parties in an attempt to resolve a dispute. He noted that the UN Security Council's involvement with Cyprus since 1964, the establishment of UNFICYP and the appointment of a mediator in 1964, as well as the start of intercommunal talks in 1968, remind us that the Cyprus problem existed before 1974 and it is not only a question of invasion and occupation. 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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Holguín as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Cyprus on Friday to inspect infrastructure developments integral to the planning of a maritime humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis announced on Wednesday. Following a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace, Letymbiotis responded to journalists' questions regarding the progress on the humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, particularly in light of reports from Israel suggesting interest from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in providing humanitarian aid through Cyprus. Letymbiotis stressed that interest from regional and international actors, including EU member states and institutions, in the maritime corridor, has been substantial from the outset. 'For this reason, European Commission President von der Leyen will visit Cyprus, where she will join the President of the Republic in inspecting infrastructure components integral to certain phases of the planning', he said. According to the Spokesman, von de r Leyen is expected to arrive to Cyprus on Thursday night. A detailed program for her visit will be announced on Thursday, and on the same evening, the President of the Republic will host a private dinner in her honour. "What is particularly significant is the recognition of the added value of a maritime corridor for the unhindered provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza, which is increasing. This demonstrates that we can provide humanitarian assistance as soon as possible," said Letymbiotis. Asked to comment on statements by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, regarding the maritime corridor, the Spokesperson said that the maritime corridor solely aims at providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza. "This has been our goal from the beginning, a one-way maritime corridor for the unhindered provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza amidst a major, enormous humanitarian crisis as it unfolds," he said. He pointed out that this is the s ole and exclusive objective of this initiative. Source: Cyprus News Agency

The European Union should assume 'a more active role in trying to overcome the deadlock and resume the negotiations' to solve the Cyprus problem, the European People's Party (EPP) underlines in its pre-election manifesto which was approved on Wednesday afternoon during its congress in Bucharest, Romania. The EPP also points out that Europe and the international community will never accept Turkey's 'unacceptable partitionist rhetoric' in favour of a two state solution. The EPP manifesto, which was the result of a long process of negotiation among member parties, also proposes the creation of the status of 'safe third countries' where asylum seekers can be processed, as well as the creation of an EU 'foreign minister' and of a European Security Council with the participation of European countries outside the EU. The paragraph on Cyprus is included in a section titled 'Our Europe speaks with one voice in the world' which focuses on the need for a more active role for the EU on the world stage. In the paragra ph on Cyprus, the manifesto states that the 'EPP remains fully committed to supporting the negotiation process for a just, sustainable and viable solution to the benefit of all the people of Cyprus, without the presence of foreign troops and the anachronistic system of guarantees and intervention rights of any foreign state', 'The EU should send a strong message of solidarity to Cyprus by assuming a more active role in trying to overcome the deadlock and resume the negotiations to end the 50-year-long occupation of Cyprus by Turkey and reunify the island on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation, with political equality, in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, EU principles and the acquis,' the manifesto adds. 'The unacceptable partitionist rhetoric of Turkey for a two-state solution will never be accepted by Europe and the international community' the EPP underlines. 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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency

UNFICYP's contribution has been of paramount importance on maintaining peace on Cyprus, says the British High Commissioner Irfan Siddiq, in a video message posted on X by the UN in Cyprus. In his message to mark 60 years of the Mission on the island, Siddiq says that the UK has been, over the years, the biggest contributing country. He spoke of the role of peacekeeping force as a guarantor of safety and stability along the buffer zone. ''Until the day that we together with our Cypriot friends from the south and north of the divide will be able to celebrate the island's reunification, you can rest assured that the UK will remain committed to supporting the reported work'', he noted. He added that on this occasion the UK pays tribute to all the peacekeepers, including the 62 British peacekeepers who paid the ultimate sacrifice, along with all the contributing countries for the mission over the sixty years. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated roun ds 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. Source: Cyprus News Agency

There are no developments as far as the discussions over the modernisation of the EU - Turkey Customs Union are concerned, as the European Commission has yet to receive instructions by the European Council on the matter, a European Commission official has said. The modernisation of the Customs Union with Turkey, affects the Cyprus problem, as Ankara refuses to extend its Custom Union with all EU member-states including the Republic of Cyprus. As the Commission official recalled, relations between Turkey and the EU have frozen since 2019, with the EU ending high level engagement and dialogue with Ankara. He noted however the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy notified the European Council over improvements in the relations requesting the EU Summit to provide directives on the way forward. But he noted that there have been no developments on the issue as this issue is not included in the European Council's agenda. 'For the time being, the Council has not discussed the situation of Turkey. As long the EU Council does not discuss the question of Turkey nothing is going to happen,' he added. Implementing sanctions by Turkey a 'top priority' ------------------ Furthermore, the same official described Turkey as a trading partner for the EU, but noted that the implementation of the EU sanctions on Russia and Belarus, following Russia invasion of Ukraine by Turkey remains a 'top priority.' 'Turkey is a potential gateway for circumventing these sanctions because it is not difficult for a "letter box company" to be set up and then to make sure that products that shouldn't go to Russia end in Russia and products that shouldn't end up in the EU end up in the EU,' he said. Recalling that Turkish President may have said that he does not want his country to be a gateway for circumventing sanctions, the same official noted that 'the language is positive but of course we have to see what happens exactly in practice.' Cyprus should adopt a FDI screening law ---------------- Moreover the official prompted Cyprus to adopt a draft legislation over the screening of Foreign Direct Investments from third-countries, noting that Cyprus is one of the five member-states that have not yet approved such a law. It is noted that Cyprus Finance Minister Makis Keravnos has stated that the FDI screening draft law is currently under legal vetting. 'This is important because we want to make sure that all member-states have screening legislation that allows a better cooperation between the member-states,' he said. The new proposal of FDI screening by the Commission, was adopted as part of the EU economic security package and request member-states to look specifically on certain elements of a proposes FDI covering critical infrastructure, he said. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Source: Cyprus News Agency