An open letter to UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin
Dear Ms Holguin
Welcome to Cyprus!
While I appreciate that as a foreigner in Cyprus I should hold my counsel on all things Cypriot, my many years of residence in Cyprus watching successive supposed, if not farcical, attempts to solve the “Cyprus problem” (Cyprob) come to nought, combined with many years of international business experience, leads me to offer you some possible words of wisdom.
Apart from the left wing unions who control daily business in Cyprus, the masters of the destiny of this small country are the Russians. The Russians have no wish for there to be a settlement of the Cyprob, so stand by for their unobtrusive efforts to derail anything resembling a successful outcome.
A major point from the very start is the long held view in Cyprus that Russia is a good friend of Cyprus, and Cyprus does not, therefore, want to do anything to upset Russia. That a solution to Cyprob will, in the long term, be beneficial to both all Cypriots and Turkey appears to be irrelevant as far as Greek Cypriot politicians are concerned.
I’m sure that you already appreciate that both Cyprus and Greece are known as Trojan horses within the EU regarding Russia.
The previous so-called efforts to reach a successful deal finally crashed in Crans-Montana under the leadership of the then president, Nicos Anastasiades. It was he, I believe, who boasted to the National Council (the purported body of advisors to the president) that Cyprus was acting as a spy for Russia inside the EU, providing Moscow with confidential information on sanctions against it for annexing Crimea in 2014. It was also he who fulfilled his promise to the then Russian deputy Foreign Minister (Alexey Meshkov) that Cyprus would be in effect Russia’s ambassador to the EU. During his two-term time as president, Anastasiades had as one of his main advisors and spokesmen Nikos Christodoulides who is now president.
In similar fashion to your unfortunate predecessors in the role of various UN representatives (i.e. Messrs, Downer and Eide), you will personally come under fire for almost anything that will facilitate the Greek Cypriot leadership saying that they are unable to continue discussions with the Turkish Cypriots.
I wish you muy buena suerte in all your efforts. You will need a great deal of it over the coming months, together with an enormous dollop of patience.
Brian Lait