Cypriot Vice-President of the OSCE PA Charalambides in the US for contacts

Member of Parliament Irene Charalambides, Head of Delegation, Vice-President of the OSCE PA, Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, is visiting the USA, participating in a delegation of the OSCE PA and carrying out meetings at the UN headquarters.

A House Press release said Charalambides met on Monday with Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Nagaraj Kakanur, Ambassador and Chef de Cabinet to 76th President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Charalambides expressed appreciation for the constructive role of UNFICYP and the UN Secretary General’s Mission of good offices in efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem.

She also condemned the Turkish illegal activities in the fenced-off area of Famagusta, which are violating the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

The UN officials expressed hope that the right conditions will be created the soonest to allow for a resumption of the talks Cyprus talks.

During the meetings, the humanitarian repercussions of the war in Ukraine were examined as well as UN efforts to open up safe humanitarian corridors that will allow the evacuation of civilians and help those remaining in war zone areas.

She also said Cyprus is contributing to efforts to alleviate the humanitarian repercussions of the conflict and is sending humanitarian aid to the country as well as hosting Ukrainian refugees.

Charalambides and her colleague Pascal Allizard, also Vice president of the OSCE PA, met France’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Nicolas De Rivière.

The Cypriot parliamentarian thanked Rivière for his country’s significant contribution in adopting the presidential statement of July 2021 on Famagusta, during France’s presidency of the Security Council and for the country’s long-term principled stance on the Cyprus problem.

She praised the strong bonds between France and Cyprus, noting these were forged on the basis of the two countries’ joint commitment to international law. At the same time, she emphasised France’s role to provide stability in the Mediterranean.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Varosha, the fenced off section of the Turkish occupied town of Famagusta, is often described as a ‘ghost town’.

UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. UN Security Council resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.

Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha. On October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. Both the UN Secretary-General and the EU expressed concern, while the UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action. In his latest report to the Security Council, UN Secretary-General Guterres underlines the importance of adhering fully to UN resolutions, underscoring that the position of the United Nations on this matter “remains unchanged.”

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