The UN Secretary-General has made it clear that he will not undertake any initiative that falls outside the framework of the United Nations Charter, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday.
Speaking upon his arrival at the graduation ceremony for doctoral students at the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) in Limassol, and asked by journalists to comment on reports concerning remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in support of a two-state solution during his meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín, President Christodoulides said that he neither underestimates nor downplays Fidan’s statements, nor the reasons they may have been made.
‘I have exchanged several messages with the Personal Envoy and have been briefed on what was discussed during her meeting with Fidan, which I will not make public, and you can understand why,’ he said.
‘Beyond that, with regard to Fidan’s statements, I would like to point out something that is clear and unequivocal. It was also the position conveyed by the Secretary-General to the Turkish President, and subsequently in Brussels when we met, as well as in discussions with the heads of the European Union institutions: the Secretary-General of the United Nations, especially today, at a time when the UN Charter is being challenged, when the system established after 1945 through the United Nations is being questioned, and when international law itself is under challenge, does not undertake any initiative that falls outside the framework of the United Nations Charter,’ he added.
‘I do not underestimate or downplay Fidan’s statements, nor the reasons they may have been made. What he stated publicly is significant; I repeat, I do not underestimate or downplay it,’ he said.
He noted, however, that ‘the United Nations initiative is moving in a specific direction, as set out by the Secretary-General himself, and we will continue with this effort.’
He reiterated, that ‘at the end of the day, we will all be judged by our positions and by the final outcome.’
Asked by a journalist whether the Turkish Foreign Minister may have made these remarks for domestic or public consumption, President Christodoulides replied: ‘I do not know whether they were made for public consumption or not. However, I neither underestimate nor downplay them.’
Holguin, who was in Cyprus last week, is now visiting Ankara, followed by Athens later this week for contacts in preparation of a new meeting in a broader format on Cyprus.
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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format that was expected to take place before the end of 2025, is yet to be announced. María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.