On Monday 13th June 2016, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, gave an interview to MegaTv journalists, Michalis Pavlides and Marios Papaelia. Developments in the Cypriot Problem formed a major part of the interview. The Cypriot Puzzle has translated to English that part of the interview and presents it below: …
Cultural rights ‘not a bargaining chip’
“The current political situation in Cyprus creates many obstacles to the exercise of cultural rights”, said United Nations human rights expert Karima Bennoune at the end of her first fact-finding mission to the country on Thursday. The UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, who began her visit on May 24 to assess efforts…
Ban Ki-moon hopes Committee on Missing Persons can inspire broader bicommunal cooperation can inspire broader bicommunal cooperation
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered a speech at the inauguration of an exhibition documenting works of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus, in New York on Tuesday. The exhibition is entitled ‘Beneath the Carob Trees’ and focuses on the unknown fate of more than 2,000 people after the illegal Turkish occupation of the Republic…
Getting property compensation under €5bn By @FionaMullenCY
In a recent article I questioned the suggestion that the cost of a united Cyprus property settlement would be €30 billion and promised to explain how I get it down to less than €5bn. As a reminder, there is as yet no official figure on the cost of compensation. The notion of €30bn probably comes…
Ankara suggests Turkish base areas in Cyprus
Ankara is reportedly pondering a pull out of its armed forces in Cyprus provided that it can leave behind military bases much like the British armed forces currently operate on the island. According to reports in Phileleftheros on Thursday, the new formula has already been suggested to the Permanent Five of the UN Security Council.…
‘Talk before you die’ By @MelissaHekkers
Last year the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) received the permission and vocal backing of both political leaders to access 30 military zones to investigate the potential burial sites of missing persons. This year, the organisation has come forward to send a fresh humanitarian message to citizens of both communities. In a joint…
Brussels gears up for Cyprus solution
The European Commission has reportedly moved to try and bolster efforts to reach a Cyprus settlement by the end of the year by renaming its ‘Task Force for the Turkish Cypriot Community’ to ‘Task Force for a Cyprus Solution’. Brussels is confident that a solution can be reached within 2016 – something that has been…
IMF, World Bank want single Cyprus economy
UN Special Envoy Espen Barth Eide has informed the two community leaders on the island that both the IMF and the World Bank are calling for a single economy for Cyprus in the event of a solution. According to reports in Phileleftheros on Monday, the comments were made during a recent seminar that took place…
Positive feedback from UN Security Council on Cyprus talks
The resolution on the renewal of UN Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) mandate contains minor changes compared with last June’s resolution, diplomatic sources have todl the Cyprus News Agency, it said on Sunday. The same sources said the Cypriot mission to the UN would exert efforts to improve the paragraphs regarding missing persons, CNA…
[Video] SG Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide and SRSG Lisa Buttenheim on Cyprus
Espen Barth Eide (SG Special Adviser) and Lisa Buttenheim (SRSG) on Cyprus – Security Council Media Stakeout 15 Jan 2016 – Informal comments to the media by Mr. Espen Barth Eide, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus and Lisa Buttenheim, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).…