Colin Stewart, the United Nations Secretary‑General’s Special Representative in Cyprus, conveyed a personal message to Murat Zyazikov, the Russian Ambassador to Nicosia, during a meeting with the organization’s head, António Guterres. This update was reported by TASS, citing a UN diplomatic source.
The UN message highlighted the productive collaboration on humanitarian aid initiatives in the North Caucasus during the early 2000s, underscoring the joint efforts that supported vulnerable communities at that time. António Guterres traveled to Ingushetia in 2006 while serving as the High Commissioner for Refugees, at which point Zyazikov was serving as president.
According to the source, the Special Representative discussed a recent incident in the buffer zone near Pila with the Russian Ambassador, aiming to clarify positions and explore avenues for de‑escalation and dialogue.
Earlier remarks attributed to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized what he called the UN peacekeepers’ actions in relation to Turkish Cypriots residing in the buffer zone in Cyprus, labeling those actions as unacceptable.
In a related and controversial note, a reference was made to a former leader, described as Putin, who reportedly made a joke about the “Supreme government of Russia.”