UN SG’s Special Representative in Cyprus briefs diplomats on Geneva meeting

UN Secretary General’s Special Repesentative in Cyprus Colin Stewart briefed on Monday the diplomatic corps on the recent Geneva meeting on the Cyprus issue, a post by the UN in Cyprus says.

The post, on X, says that Colin Stewart welcomed members of the diplomatic community for a briefing on the UN’s activities and current state-of-play on the island, after the informal broader format meeting on Cyprus held by the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Geneva, last week.

At the briefing, the post says, Stewart informed about the positive initiatives announced by the Secretary-General in Geneva, including a Technical Committee on Youth, possible new crossings, demining and ways to address shared areas of concern such as the environment, solar power and the restoration of cemeteries.

“Looking forward, he commended the parties for the result of the Geneva informal meeting, and noted the positive decisions on a Personal Envoy and another meeting to be held at the end of July”, the post reads.

Stewart also briefed on the situation in the buffer zone and recalled the ongoing activities of the 12 technical committees to address issues of shared importance on the island. 

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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

UN Secretary General announced that an informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format will be held at the end of July, following a similar meeting in Geneva, on March 17-18.

Antonio Guterres also announced that he will appoint a new personal envoy on Cyprus to prepare the next steps, while the two sides agreed to proceed with a number of initiatives, involving the opening of crossing points, the creation of a Technical Committee on Youth and other initiatives in the buffer zone and throughout the island.