The approval of the two sides is expected for two actions proposed for 2026 by the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Youth, Amalia Avraam, Greek Cypriot head of the Committee, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Wednesday, adding that the implementation of an action involving all Bicommunal Technical Committees is also underway. These actions are supported by the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, she noted.
Invited to comment on the Good Offices Report of the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, for Cyprus, in which there are references to the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Youth, Avraam noted that ‘it is evident that (the UN Secretary-General) is pleased with the Committee’, which was established last May and has already held two events.
The inaugural event of the Committee, as she explained, took place last July, while the second one was held last December and was dedicated to the issues of mental health of young people. Noting that Antonio Guterres included in his reports the trip the Committee made to Jordan together with the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, last November, she pointed out that the UN Secretary-General ‘is following the work of the Committee and sees it as a very positive development and we hope that we too will continue the positive work to contribute to this effort in the context of the solution of the Cyprus problem.’
Asked by CNA about the next actions of the Committee, Amalia Avraam said that on January 13, the Committee will have its first meeting for 2026. In the context of the meeting, the Committee will send to the two sides (including the negotiators) for approval the next 2 activities it has proposed, she noted, adding that both activities are proposed with the support of the Personal Envoy, since they emerged from the discussions the Committee had with Holguin in Jordan. She also expressed hope that at least one of the two activities will take place within the first quarter of 2026.
In addition, Avraam said that an activity will be carried out at the initiative of the Personal Envoy, which concerns all bicommunal technical committees and will possibly be made public in the coming period.
Noting that the Committee consists of 32 members (16 Greek Cypriots and 16 Turkish Cypriots), Avraam said that from the beginning there was a positive climate among the members, ‘but what we did not expect is that it would develop into such a warm relationship and friendship between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots who make up our Committee’.
‘We have held over 20 meetings, but we do not limit ourselves there. We always aim for (the professional meeting) to be followed by some personal meeting between us, so that we are even closer and have the opportunity to talk, express our views and see activities that we want to carry out’, she pointed out. ‘This resulted in the positive climate that both the Personal Envoy and the Secretary General see, but even the two leaders are aware of the relationship that exists in our committee,’ she concluded.