in-cyprus 21 September 2023 - by Annie Charalambous
Russia supports the immediate appointment of a special envoy or special adviser to the UN Secretary General for divided Cyprus so that stalled reunification talks get resumed.
But under the condition that the special envoy will be approved by the UN Security Council to which he/she should be accountable, Philenews reported on Thursday.
The condition set by Moscow is something new as regards the Cyprus even though Russia makes clear for that the appointment of an envoy would contribute to the resumption of a full negotiation process.
Specifically, four points Russia has raised on Cyprus – divided since a 1974 invasion by Turkey – during the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York.
To start with, Moscow is in favour of finding a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. These provide for the establishment on the island of a bicommunal and bizonal federation with a single international legal personality, sovereignty and citizenship.
At the same time, the model of the final solution should be approved by both the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots without any external interference. And the imposition of arbitrary timetables is rendered as unacceptable.
Moscow also believes that it is necessary to involve the permanent members of the Security Council when discussing the international aspects of the Cyprus problem.
And that the existing system of guarantees by the United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey should be replaced by guarantees from the UN Security Council.
An immediate appointment of a Special Envoy or Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General, who would be approved by and accountable to the Security Council, would help to re-launch a full negotiating process.
