In the logic that space and time should be given to the Holguín mission, the United States also operates at a distance from those who strictly adhere to timetables (mainly the Turkish side) and demand conclusive outcomes by the end of the semester.
Meanwhile, Nicosia is passing the ball to Ankara, urging it to cooperate with the personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to make progress in its effort.
Ersin Tatar consistently comes forward, advocating for the completion of the Maria Angela Holguín Cuéllar mission by the end of the semester. Tatar’s approach seems to align with two trends.
One trend is Turkey itself, which moves supportively towards what Tatar proposes.
The other side is a portion of the international community that operates on the logic of strict timetables as a pressure lever on both sides to achieve some result.
The United States appears to distance itself from similar approaches, believing that space and time should be given to Holguín to find common ground.
Speaking at the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece over the weekend, the U.S. Ambassador to Nicosia, Julie Fisher, said, “What I believe is important now, we have a UN envoy, and I believe that an envoy of this level needs space to find common ground. That is her mission, to find common ground sufficient to bring the parties to the negotiation table. I believe that work is done better quietly, with quiet discussions.”
Asked how the current positions of the two sides could be bridged, given that the Republic of Cyprus calls for the resumption from where the talks were interrupted in Crans Montana and the Turkish side talks about a two-state solution and sovereign equality, she answered (source Alpha) that this is the mission of the personal envoy.
She said we need to understand that while there are public positions, often in discussions away from the limelight, points of common interest and benefit can be found that could lead to finding common ground.
Meanwhile, Nicosia takes every opportunity to send messages to Ankara, urging cooperation for the success of the UN envoy’s effort.
Cyprus’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maria Michail, responding to Turkey’s permanent representative, noted, “At a time when efforts are being made to restart a political process leading to a solution to the Cyprus problem based on Security Council resolutions, after the recent appointment of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguín Cuéllar, Turkey continues to reject the framework approved by the United Nations for a solution, demanding legitimisation of its imposed partition of the island, pursuing its vision for a ‘two-state solution,’ and openly trying to derail these efforts.”
She emphasised that “the Republic of Cyprus remains committed to supporting the work of the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy and to charting a positive course forward to break the deadlock and restart negotiations, fully utilizing the gains of the talks.”
“We call on Turkey to engage with the same spirit to rejuvenate the peace process and the prospect of an overall solution as defined in the relevant Security Council resolutions. This is vital not only for the benefit of all Cypriots but also for promoting peace, security, and stability in the broader region, at a time when it is desperately needed,” she stressed.
“The fact that Turkey deemed it necessary to react to a reference by another member state, through which the latter simply underlined its commitment to the fundamental principles of respecting the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of states, is indicative of Turkey’s blatant disrespect for international law. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of states under attack must be defended, regardless of where the attacks come from or how long they last,” Michail noted.
