All that is needed for an agreement on crossings is political will, Stewart says

All that is needed for an agreement on crossings is political will, UNSG Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Colin Stewart, has said.

He was speaking on 10 December at the end of year reception held at Ledra Palace in the presence of President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar. 

The opening of new crossing points would benefit people on both sides of the island, would strengthen intra-island interdependence, building positive conditions for a settlement, and create positive momentum for the next steps, he added.

Stewart also said that preparations for an informal meeting in a larger format which will bring together the two leaders and the guarantor powers under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, are already under discussion at the UN headquarters.

During the event, the two leaders talked for about 15 minutes, with President Christodoulides asking the Turkish Cypriot leader to arrange a meeting.

In his speech, Stewart said the traditional end of the year reception under the auspices of the Secretary General’s Good offices mission in Cyprus was also “an opportunity” to bring the two leaders together in a festive social setting, together with their teams, the diplomatic community, a broad spectrum of civil society, both sides of the island and United Nations staff. 

This gathering, he added, “is also a chance to take stock of what it's been achieved in the past year in the name of a better future for Cyprus.”

“I'm happy to say that while the world around Cyprus continues to go through unprecedented challenges, we are witnessing some new glimmers of hope,” Stewart said. “As you all know, in the first half of the year, a new personal envoy of the Secretary General, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, engaged actively with the parties and other key interlocutors,” he said. Building on this work, he added, the Secretary-General hosted an informal dinner in New York for the two leaders on 15 October.

“This is the first time that these two leaders have met under the Secretary General's auspices,” Stewart noted, adding that they agreed with the Secretary-General to start exploring the opening of new crossing points, “and I'm happy to note that in our initial discussions with the representatives of the leaders, we have noted a new energy, a new optimism, a new commitment to finding agreement.”

“In fact, there was so much optimism at the beginning, we thought we would have an announcement for you here tonight. But these things take a little while. Nothing of this sort is ever quick and easy, but I'm hopeful,” he added. He expressed the belief that agreement on crossings was “doable in a way that is beneficial to both sides,” noting that all that is needed “as always, is the political will.”

“The other important thing that was agreed by the two leaders was to meet again informally in a larger format which will bring together the two leaders and the guarantor powers under the auspices of the Secretary-General, for crucial discussion on the way forward,” Stewart said, adding that preparations for such a meeting are already under discussion at the UN headquarters. 

He also noted that 2024 has been “a landmark year” for the United Nations in Cyprus. “The 60th anniversary of the United Nations Peacekeeping and mediation presence in Cyprus was an unhappy anniversary in a year of unhappy anniversaries,” he said, adding that, all of which remind us that a settlement of the Cyprus issue, “is long overdue.”

Stewart also referred to the work of the Technical Committees noting that, “as always” they have been working “quietly throughout the year on a number of good projects.”

He noted, among other things, the work of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage and the completion of restoration work on a number of sites, on both sides of the divide. 

Stewart also said that the Technical Committee on Health continues to collaborate on diseases carried by mosquitoes, while the Veterinary subcommittee is now actively looking for ways to allow personal pets to be brought through the Green Line. 

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.