In his meeting with civil society representatives on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres encouraged greater communication between civil society and the political leaderships, arguing that the ability to influence decision making is the essence of democracy.
He warned that the geopolitical complexity in the region made a Cyprus solution “more and more urgent” while noting that a solution is not only down to the Cypriots – the guarantor powers also have a role to play.
During his two-day visit to Cyprus, Guterres met with civil society from both communities, representing the fields of academia, youth, women organisations, business and social innovation, environment, peacebuilding, policy think tanks and labour unions.
Addressing those present, the UN chief said that when he was involved in national politics in Portugal, he was most influenced by the political philosopher Jürgen Habermas.
“One of the things he wrote was that the essence of a democracy is not in elections, (it) is in the permanent interflow of communication between civil society and political society and the fact that that has an influence on political decisions.”
The UN chief offered his support to the efforts of civil society in Cyprus, saying the UN believes in the importance of their role. Guterres noted that when he was in government, civil society’s contribution helped him to avoid mistakes and take the right decisions.
Cypriots cannot do it alone
“My wish is that your role be strengthened in creating the conditions for the Cypriot leadership but together also with the guarantor powers – because the Cypriot is not alone in this process – to be able to overcome all the difficulties and to be able to find the solution for the Cyprus situation,” he added.
Paying price for regional chaos
Guterres stressed the importance of finding a solution that can safeguard Cyprus from developments in the region, noting that a solution “is becoming more and more urgent when we see the complexity of the geopolitical divides in this region”.
The UN chief said it was important that “Cyprus will not pay the price for what others are doing in this chaotic situation, namely in the region around Cyprus”.
His message echoed statements made during his meetings with the two leaders earlier on Tuesday where he referred to the current regional turmoil, warning that geopolitical changes could suddenly put Cyprus “in the centre of unnecessary events”. Guterres expressed interest in finding solutions to ensure that Cyprus will not find itself in such a situation.
Majority want greater cooperation across divide
Sergiy Illarionov, head of the UNSG’s good offices in Cyprus, also spoke at the event, relaying the results of bicommunal polling undertaken over the years.
“This year we received strong evidence that a vast majority in both communities support greater cooperation across the divide. Similarly, strong majorities in both communities believe that the current regional tensions make resolving the Cyprus issue more urgent than ever,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the latest polling also shows that the lack of trust between the communities remains a significant obstacle,” said Illarionov.
The UN official noted that at the same time, polls show “strong support in both communities for practical cooperation, inclusive peace building and renewed engagement”.
*The meeting starts from the 27th minute in the video.
