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2021 will be a year of stagnation for the Cyprus problem. The T/C and Turkish stance and the position for a solution on the basis of the sovereign equality of two equal and sovereign "peoples" with equal international status, as reflected in Ersin Tatar's 6-point proposal at the informal five-party conference on Cyprus in Geneva between 27 and 29 April, left no room for progress.
After the end of the informal meeting, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that "the truth is that we have not yet found enough common ground to resume talks, but I am not giving up" and "squaring the circle is impossible in geometry but very common in politics."
At the informal five-party conference, the EU did not participate. However, it was represented by Angelina Eichhorst, Director for Western Europe, Western Balkans, Turkey and the United Kingdom at the European External Action Service (EEAS).
Separate meetings between the UN Secretary General and the President of the Republic and the Turkish Cypriot leader
In June in Brussels, the UN Secretary General had separate meetings with the President of the Republic and the Turkish Cypriot leader. There were several meetings and discussions on the Cyprus issue of all international actors involved in the settlement process, and Jane Hall Lute came to the island for further consultations with the two sides.
This was followed by the informal trilateral meeting in New York at the end of September, after the UN General Assembly, where again there was no tangible result. And due to objections from the Turkish and T/C side, no agreement could be reached on the appointment of a Special Envoy to replace Jane Hall Lute, who left her post to be appointed to a large private company. The UN never made an announcement about this meeting.
There was a change in the head of UNFICYP and the UN Secretary General's Good Offices in Cyprus. Elizabeth Spehar, who left after 5 years, was succeeded by Colin Stewart, also Canadian, who had his first separate meetings with the two leaders in December and a social meeting of all, President Anastasiades, the TC leader, Ersin Tatar, the negotiators, co-chairs and members of the bi-communal Technical Committees, at the Ledra Palace on 14 December.
\NIn the reports of the UN Secretary General and the resolutions of the organization on the renewal of the UNFICYP's mandate, the basis for a solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation is constantly referred to.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who visited Cyprus in February, had in early March described the model of a bizonal bicommunal federation as a "starting point", referring to the need for flexibility and pragmatism. This was followed by fleeting talks of a British model for a solution, which British Foreign Secretary Wendy Morton had denied when she too came to Cyprus, before the informal five-party meeting in Geneva.
EU rejected Turkish positions
The EU rejected Turkish positions. Borel and von der Leyen visited Cyprus in 2021. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy expressed the position that Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side should stay away from the rhetoric of two states in Cyprus because such a solution will never be accepted by the EU. The EU will not accept a two-state solution, the President of the European Commission also said. A similar statement was made by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, before the EP Plenary in July.
The last General Affairs Council of this year adopted conclusions on enlargement saying that Turkey continues to move further and further away from the EU Union and the accession process is at a standstill, calls on Turkey to stop all threats and actions that damage good neighbourly relations, to normalise relations with the Republic of Cyprus and to respect the sovereignty of all EU Member States over their territorial waters on the basis of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Towards the end of August, the President of the Republic submitted a proposal in response to Ersin Tatar for a return to the 1960s Constitution, which the T/C leader rejected and provoked several debates on the domestic political front. Speaking about this proposal before the UN General Assembly, President Anastasiades said that it aims to facilitate the return of TCs to the state before the solution.
In November and on the occasion of the publication of part of the UN minutes of the 2017 Crans Montana conference on Cyprus by the newspaper Phileleftheros, a debate was triggered again about the negotiation cycle at that time, Turkey's positions and the final outcome of the dinner in the presence of the UN Secretary General.
Commenting on the minutes, the President of the Republic said that they refer to "the actual events and not to myths and narratives spread by a certain UN official to those well-wishers who wanted to watch and listen to him."
Turkish moves in Varosha
The President of the Republic described any settlement of the fenced area of Famagusta as a gravestone of the Cyprus problem. About a year after the first opening, on 13 October, the Turkish and Turkish sides began work on a second site, roughly in the middle of the fenced Varosy. Earlier, on 20 July, in the presence of the Turkish President in the occupied territories for the celebrations of the Turkish invasion, Ersin Tatar announced the declassification from a military zone and the pilot opening of an area of 3,5% of the closed Varosha - where work is underway to open a new entry point - and called on the E/C property owners there to appeal to the "property committee" to claim their property by way of restitution, exchange or compensation. Both Mr Tatar and the Turkish leadership claim that Varosha is territory of "tdvk", as they call the pseudo-state. The EBKAF has also announced that it claims property in the fenced area, claiming that much of it belongs to three Ottoman wakufis.
During the year, cleaning, road construction, and use of public spaces continued. The coastal Golden Beach in Varosha and the garden of the Greek Gymnasium of Famagusta were opened in Erdoğan's telepresence on 20 July.
The Republic of Cyprus, political parties, the Municipality of Famagusta and many other bodies condemned the Turkish moves in Varosha and appealed to all international forums, the UN, the EU, the members of the UNSC, the powerful countries of the Union and the USA. The international community is concerned about the developments in Varosha, referring to Turkey's provocative and unacceptable actions.
In a presidential statement, the UNSC in July condemned the July 20 announcement, reaffirmed Resolution 550 and Resolution 789 and that any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants are unacceptable and no actions should be taken in relation to Varosha that are not in accordance with the resolutions. There has also been mobilization by Cypriots in Britain and America to put pressure on Turkey by the leaders of the countries where they reside. There have been several interventions by the US government towards Turkey.
In August the Turkish President announces an international conference on Varosha and the President of the Republic declares that there is no end to Turkish provocativeness.
In reaction to the Turkish-Turkish actions, the Council of Ministers in Troodos in August decided to revoke 14 passports of the Republic of Cyprus from officials of the pseudo-state and members of the committee for the opening of Varosha, and to file the 5th Transnational Application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the Turkish plans for Varosha.
President Anastasiades wrote to the UN Secretary General in October denouncing Turkey's new unilateral and illegal actions in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus, in the enclosed area of Famagusta and in Karpasia, where the "cabinet" in the occupied territories granted land in the peninsula to Turkey for a military installation.
Trilateral and Bilateral Cooperation
2021 will be a year of trilateral and bilateral cooperation and meetings, while the presence of the Republic of Cyprus with President Nicos Anastasiades at the 4th Paris Peace Forum and the Conference on Libya organized by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris stands out.
The President of the Republic also participated in the trilateral Cyprus-Greece-Jordan Summit in Athens in July. In early September, the first intergovernmental Cyprus-Egypt Summit took place in Caeros in the presence of Nicos Anastasiades and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, which was seen as a new chapter in relations between the two countries. In the autumn, the 9th Cyprus-Greece-Egypt Leaders' Summit was held in Athens with the three countries expressing strong support for a solution based on UN resolutions.
In December, the 8th Trilateral Cyprus-Greece-Israel Summit was held in Jerusalem in the presence of the Heads of State. A Cyprus solution will contribute to regional stability, the Joint Declaration stated. Strong signals of cooperation and support from President Anastasiades' contacts with the President and Prime Minister of Israel.
In April, a trilateral meeting between Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon at the level of Foreign Ministers took place in Athens and the first trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the United Arab Emirates took place in Paphos. The first bilateral meeting of high-level Cyprus-Jordanian delegations took place in Larnaca in June. In August, a trilateral meeting of Cyprus - Greece - Israel Foreign Ministers took place in Israel.
In November, the first trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Egypt and France took place in Athens.
In November, the joint Cyprus-China Declaration on the establishment of strategic cooperation was also announced. This followed a telephone conversation between the Presidents of the two countries on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cyprus and China.
Enhanced American and French presence on the island
Early 2021 saw the start of construction of the Cyprus Center for Land, Open Seas and Port Security (CYCLOPS) regional security training center in Larnaca, at a cost of $5 million, donated by the U.S. government, while the land was donated by the RoC. The foundation stone was laid in the presence of US Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf.
Cyprus and the US also signed a Declaration of Intent to strengthen their cooperation in the field of Border Security.
In addition, in May the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the flagship of the French Navy, docked at the port of Limassol. The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was also in Limassol in July.
At the end of August, the President of the Republic honoured the American Senator and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate, Robert Menendez, with the decoration of the Grand Cross of the Order of Macarius III.
Parliamentary Elections
Parliamentary elections were held on 30 May. The abstention rate was high and for the first time in the history of the RoC we have a seven-party parliament. The turnout was 65.72%. DISY, AKEL, AKEL, DIKO, ELAM, ELAM, EDEK, the Democratic Party and the Movement of Ecologists - Citizens' Co-operation entered the Parliament in order of results.
This was followed by the election for the first time of a woman Speaker of the Parliament, Anita Demetriou, nominated by DISY and supported by her party, the Democratic Party and ELAM in the second round of voting. Already, DISY President Averof Neophytou announced his intention to run and his candidacy will be decided through his party's procedures. At the same time, reports suggest that Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides is also interested in the top post. Processes seem to have started in AKEL as well, while the other parties are slowly starting to move in this direction. The President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades made it clear once again that he will not be a candidate again.
Reshuffle
On 22 June, following the resignation of Emily Yoliti and the intention of Constantine Ioannou to resign, the President of the Republic went through a reshuffle for the second time during his second term of office. Stefi Drakou was appointed to the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, Michalis Hatzipantelas was appointed Minister of Health, Marios Pelekanos was appointed Government Spokesperson, Niovi Parissinou was appointed Deputy Government Spokesperson and Anastasia Anthousi was appointed Deputy Minister of Social Welfare.
Andreas Joseph was appointed Director of the President's Press Office, while Victor Papadopoulos was appointed Head of International Press and Enlightenment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Panagiotis Sentonas was appointed as Citizens' Commissioner, replacing the Commissioner for Volunteerism.
Pope Francis' historic visit to Cyprus
2021 was also marked by the visit of Pope Francis, which lasted two days and sent strong messages from Cyprus to the whole world both on the migration issue and on peace building on the island and in the region.Lissarides, Claire Angelidou and Nikos Rolandis
Three political figures with a historic contribution to the country passed away in 2021 in Cyprus.
The iconic former President of the EPP and Speaker of the Parliament, Vassos Lyssarides, the former Minister and former President of the Liberal Party, Nikos Rolandis and the former Minister, educator and writer, Claire Angelidou.
Source: CNA
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