With a new failure behind us at Geneva in 2021 and no prospects of a new envoy, the year was a damp squib in terms of the Cyprus issue other than to fan the dying embers of two failed processes across two terms for outgoing president Nicos Anastasiades – Crans-Montana and Geneva.

With two months left, he declared in December that he had made “superhuman efforts” during his ten years in office, that he had managed to record significant progress with the then leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mustafa Akinci, now also gone, leaving the latter’s successor Ersin Tatar to declare that going forward, only sovereign equality and the equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots were negotiable.

The UNSG report mid-year pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot political landscape had been characterised by uncertainty and increasing polarisation while in the Republic, unofficial campaigning has started for the presidential elections scheduled for February 2023.

Guterres urges leaders to encourage more direct contact and cooperation

With the Turkish side digging its heels in and with Anastasiades packing his presidential bags, UN Special Representative Colin Stewart said the elections in February 2023 would now determine future prospects “for better or worse”. The UN representative has made several references to “last chances”.