The first draft of the resolution on the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate was circulated to all members of the Security Council for necessary consultations and for all sides to make representations with a view to securing language representing their positions.

From the whole process, which is expected to conclude on 31 January with the adoption – unanimous, according to the information received so far from the UN – of the resolution renewing the mandate of UNFICYP, it is clear that the Security Council appreciates the efforts of the UN Secretary General and his personal envoy, Maria Angela Olgin Quayar.

Overall, the Security Council seems to support the informal talks and welcomes not only their continuation but also their expansion to include the guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey, UK). At the same time, there seems to be a broad understanding of the need for confidence-building measures to avoid further alienation between the two communities.

According to reports from non-permanent Security Council members, the resolution would reaffirm the status of the Varosia and call again for a reversal of steps taken since 2020. Efforts also appear to be underway for more balanced reporting on the Pyla incidents, but also to reflect the reality of the deployment of military surveillance measures.

At the same time, although migration clearly does not fall within UNFICYP’s mandate, it seems that the resolution will contain the Republic of Cyprus’ positive attitude towards the humanitarian assistance that the peacekeeping mission offered to migrants in the Dead Zone, as the latter cooperated with the Cypriot authorities.

In the closed briefings of the Security Council, all five permanent members (US, China, Russia, France and the UK) kept an equal distance on the Cyprus issue. However, as a whole, the Security Council reiterated its support for a just solution that includes a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality.

Russia, according to its Permanent Mission to the UN, supports the presence of UNFICYP in Cyprus, with the aim of avoiding escalation, and sees it both as a necessary element for maintaining a peaceful climate and as a precondition for any dialogue. “Any change in the composition of the mission’s troops should take into account both the situation on the ground and the views of both sides. And they should be carefully calculated with the objective of a viable settlement in Cyprus in mind. Russia draws attention against hasty decisions,” the Permanent Mission said.

According to information coming from delegations of permanent member states of the Security Council, the posture of balance of permanent and non-permanent members continued during the Security Council meetings away from the spotlight. In these – it seems – Mr. Stewart (Security Council envoy to Cyprus and head of UNFICYP), while advocating the need to maintain an “impartial” and “balanced” stance, allegedly sometimes overstepped the boundaries on issues both current and historical, provoking a reaction from Greece, which as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, is reminded that it now participates in closed meetings and has a say.

Also, according to UN sources, the closed briefings mentioned to Mr. Stewart a series of incidents on the Green Line, which are not mentioned in his reports, with him claiming they did not happen.