Geneva, 12 January 2017 - The Conference on Cyprus convened today, 12 January 2017, in Geneva, under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, with the participation of H.E. Mr. Mustafa Akinci and H.E. Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom as guarantor powers and in the presence of the European Union as an observer.

The Conference commended Mr. Anastasiades and Mr. Akinci for the remarkable progress made over the past 20 months in the Cyprus talks. It was only thanks to their dedicated work that it was possible to convene the Conference today. This is the first time that brought all together to discuss the chapter of security and guarantees, the sixth and last chapter of the negotiations.

The discussions today underscored the participants’ intention to find mutually acceptable solutions on security and guarantees that address the concerns of both communities. They recognized that the security of one community cannot come at the expense of the security of the other. They also acknowledged the need to address the traditional security concerns of the two communities while at the same time developing a security vision for a future united federal Cyprus.

The participants recognized that this is the time to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion. This is a historic opportunity that should not be missed. The participants therefore committed to supporting the process towards a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus. The common objectives outlined above will require concerted efforts by all concerned over the course of the next days.

Therefore, to this end, they decided to continue the Conference, in line with established precedent, with the following steps:

• Establish a working group at the level of deputies. This group will commence its work on 18 January. Its task will be to identify specific questions and the instruments needed to address them.
• In parallel, the negotiations on outstanding issues in the other chapters will continue between the two sides in Cyprus.
• The Conference will continue at political level immediately thereafter to review the outcome of the working group’s discussions.

The Conference confirmed the full commitment of the three guarantor powers to support reaching a comprehensive settlement.

Ends