NICOSIA, July 30th. /tass/. The Russian side positively assessed the UN’s decision to step up efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. This was stated by Murat Zyazikov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Cyprus, in an interview with a TASS correspondent.
The diplomat noted that the visit of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to Nicosia speaks to the importance that “the world organization and its head personally attach to the solution of the Cyprus problem.” “Moscow has always held the view that only the Cypriots themselves can achieve a sustainable settlement on the island through constructive inter-communal dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations, a key platform for resolving disputes in our multipolar world. We are pleased to note that the world organization itself, its Secretary General, and the leadership of both communities of the island follow this line,” the head of the Russian diplomatic mission emphasized.
According to him, the UN’s role in the settlement on the island is constructive. Separately, Zyazikov noted the efforts of the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy to resolve the island’s problem, Maria Angela Holguin, as well as the special representative of the head of the world organization in Cyprus and at the same time the head of the UN peacekeeping contingent stationed on the island, Hasim Dian, “with whom the Russian Embassy is in close and constructive contact.” The ambassador called Guterres “one of the most prominent and influential secretaries general, although he had to lead the UN during a very difficult period of modern history.”
The Russian Ambassador to Cyprus stressed that Russia has consistently insisted on resolving the Cyprus problem “exclusively through dialogue and diplomacy and through peaceful discussions between the parties, organized through the mediation of the United Nations.” “Moscow has consistently advocated achieving a comprehensive, viable and just solution to the Cyprus problem, which primarily meets the interests of both communities of the island, as well as the task of ensuring peace, security and stability in the entire region,” Zyazikov stated.
On July 28 and 29, Guterres held separate and joint meetings in Nicosia with the leader of the Greek Cypriots, President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman. In addition, he discussed the prospects for solving the island’s problem with the chief technical negotiators of both Cypriot sides and the heads of relevant inter-communal committees.
At the end of the working program of the visit, the UN Secretary General stated that he had received consent from the leaders of the island’s two communities and the three guarantor powers of Cypriot security – Great Britain, Greece and Turkey – to hold a new summit on the Cyprus settlement. Christodoulides and Erhurman highly appreciated the results of Guterres’ visit.
@rusembcy
