Presidency issues statement on SC resolution extending mandate of UNFICYP

Presidency Office issued a statement on the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council extending the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

The written statement by the Presidency said: "Parts of the resolution adopted today by the UN Security Council, which refer to the basis of the negotiations, overlooked, once again, the realities on the ground, thereby contributing to the maintenance of the status quo. The resolution has demonstrated, yet again, that the Security Council is content with the status quo and is not genuinely interested in the solution of the problem that needs to be based on the inherent equality of the two sides in Cyprus."

The statement stressed: "The reference in the resolution to a new political process, which merely repeats the old and exhausted basis from which the Turkish Cypriot side has withdrawn its consent, is unacceptable."

"We would like to reiterate that negotiations on this exhausted basis, held by leaders from all ends of the political spectrum, without any success, have been the main culprit for the continued denial of the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People and the inhumane isolation imposed on them for over half a century, as well as the unjust and unlawful representation of the whole island only by the Greek Cypriot side, within the framework of a sanctioned illusion," it continued.

Noting that the Turkish Cypriot side has repeatedly expressed their readiness to start a new and official negotiation process following the confirmation of their inherent rights--- sovereign equality and equal international status, the statement added: "We would like to take this opportunity to extend our President's call to the upcoming Greek Cypriot leader that he is ready to engage in formal negotiations to reach a just and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem based on the confirmation of our aforesaid inherent rights."

The statement also added that the Security Council resolution of January 30, 2023, has overlooked the "vital signs" of the Turkish Cypriot side’s cooperation proposals, dated July 1, 2022, and July 8, 2022. "The references in the report regarding the closed part of Maraş reflect the resistance of the international community towards change," it noted.

Recalling the draft Status of Forces Agreement, prepared by the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed to the UN in New York to find a legal basis for the operations of UNFCIYP in the TRNC, the statement added that: "negotiations to find a mutually acceptable agreement are currently ongoing. Notwithstanding this development and the fact that the UN has already submitted its draft agreement in response, the failure of the Security Council to reflect these realities, instead extending the operations of UNFICYP for another year, does not reflect good faith."

"We are determined to continue our diplomacy-oriented policy to reach a just and sustainable settlement, without prejudicing our inherent rights and interests. This will serve the urgent cooperation, security, and stability needs of the two sides, as well as those of the Eastern Mediterranean region and Europe as a whole," it noted.

Soruce (Turkish News Agency)