Nicosia, Cyprus. Unficyp chief Khassim Diagne on Friday outlined four priorities for the months ahead after meeting President Nikos Christodoulides. Diagne said the force aims to strengthen effectiveness despite financial challenges and ensure buffer zone security.
Operational effectiveness and buffer zone coverage
Diagne said Unficyp’s first priority is “strengthened operational effectiveness and resilience in the context of a challenging financial environment,” and the second is to “ensure consistent patrolling coverage across the buffer zone.”
He said Unficyp will provide “more static presence in specific areas of the buffer zone” and is “patrolling the area day and night,” using both military police and civilian personnel.
Diagne said he has visited areas considered “sometimes, sensitive,” and added, “I can assure you that this is our number one priority – to secure the buffer zone is incident-free.”
“I will be very honest, we might not have zero incidents, but we will do our very best to ensure there is safety and security, not only for the civilians, but also for the peacekeepers,” he said.
Intercommunal activities and political process
Diagne said the third priority is to “restore support to affected intercommunal activities where possible,” while the fourth is to “maintain our role as a stabilising presence on the island, therefore contributing efforts towards a political process” on the Cyprus problem.
He is expected to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman next week.
Budget cuts to UN operations in Cyprus
Both Unficyp and the UN’s good offices in Cyprus have been affected by budget cuts this year. Unficyp’s budget saw a more limited impact, with half of its previous US$55 million (€46.8m) budget covered by the Republic of Cyprus and Greece.
Budget cuts at the good offices amounted to 37.7 per cent, with seven civilian staff losing their jobs. Those staff had been tasked with facilitating the work of bicommunal technical committees, joint work between the island’s two sides, and confidence-building measures.
What impact do you expect the UN budget cuts to have on bicommunal work in Cyprus?