External Guarantees System For Cyprus Fails To Meet Current Global Realities - Moscow
Faizan Hashmi Published February 22, 2019 | 06:45 PM
The existing system of external security assurances for Cyprus does not correspond to present international realities or the international legal status of the republic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday following talks with his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides
The system in question was formed with the signing of the Treaty of Guarantee at the end of British colonial rule over the island in 1960. According to the treaty, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom act as the guarantors of the independence, security and territorial integrity of Cyprus. Nicosia considers the system of guarantees "anachronistic" and a limitation on Cyprus' sovereignty.
"It is obvious that the existing system of external security guarantees for the island no longer meets present realities and the current international legal status of the republic ... We are convinced that guarantees of the UN Security Council should become the most effective way to ensure independence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of united Cyprus," Lavrov said after talks with Christodoulides.
Lavrov also noted that there was no reason for changes in the mandate of the mission of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).
"Currently, we do not see any reason to change the mandate of UN peacekeepers in Cyprus and urge not to speculate on this issue," Lavrov stressed.
The UNFICYP was established in 1964 to prevent the escalation of violence between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. On January 30, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the peacekeeping force by another six months. The UNSC decision was criticized by Turkey as not making tangible contribution to the efforts towards the settlement of the Cyprus issue. Ankara also stressed that the mandate had been extended without receiving consent from the authorities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus has been de facto divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the island. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was declared in 1983, and is recognized only by Turkey.
Negotiations on the reunification of Cyprus have been conducted almost from the moment of its division. In February 2014, these talks were repeatedly interrupted and resumed after a two-year hiatus initiated by incumbent Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
In July 2017, negotiations on Cyprus were held in Switzerland's Crans-Montana, but they ultimately collapsed due to the lack of any concrete decisions. Athens believes that the conference in Crans-Montana constituted the first real chance to solve the Cyprus problem and blames Ankara for the failure of talks.
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