Famagusta residents urge UN to put the city back at the centre of negotiations

Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots from Famagusta have sent a joint appeal to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, calling for the issue of the city’s closed-off section to become one of the key points of a new initiative on the Cyprus settlement.

In the appeal, Famagusta residents stressed that the city should not be viewed as a «reward» for either community. In their view, returning the city to its lawful residents could become the first important step towards the reunification of Cyprus after decades of division.

The document was handed to the UN peacekeeping force for onward transmission to Guterres during his visit to Cyprus and was presented at a press conference in Nicosia.

One of the initiative’s participants, Christakis Nikitas, said that civil society representatives had been bringing residents from both communities together for many years, advocating a return to peaceful coexistence and the restoration of Famagusta.

Turkish Cypriots from Famagusta also supported the return of Greek Cypriots — the city’s lawful residents — to their homes, noting that both communities should once again be able to live together in a united Famagusta.

The signatories believe that the city’s restoration and cooperation between the two communities could help build the level of trust needed to resume a fully fledged peace process.