Cyprus Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nicos Emiliou made representations to the Director of the Office of the United Nations Secretary General, Susana Malcorra, over statements on the political situation in Cyprus made in Munich on Saturday by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
Referring to the previous round of UN – led negotiations which aimed to reunify the island, divided since Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third in 1974, Ban said on Saturday that “unfortunately, these negotiations [were] suspended because of a change of government in the Greek Cypriot community of Cyprus”.
Emiliou met on Monday at 22.00 hrs Cyprus time with Malcorra on the instructions of Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides.
Diplomatic sources said that Malcorra “noted the representations and reaffirmed the good intentions of the UN Secretary General, as well as his dedication and commitment to the process of resolving the Cyprus problem”.
Asked about the concerns raised in Cyprus following the Secretary General’s statement, the Spokesperson for the Secretary General Martin Nesirky urged the reporter “to take a close look at the transcript of what the Secretary-General actually said”.
“I think that would help clear up some of the confusion that has been created and that’s really all I have to say on that at the moment. It’s really nothing more than I have to say on that at the moment,” he said.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
The latest round of UN backed talks began in 2008 but was suspended in the summer of 2012 by the Turkish side, when the Republic of Cyprus assumed the six month long presidency of the European Council.
During the past weeks the UN have been meeting with the negotiators of the two communities on the island – Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots – with the aim to reach an agreement on a joint statement that would pave the way for the resumption of the talks.
In February 2013 Cyprus elected a new President, Nicos Anastasiades, who succeeded Dimitris Christofias.
