UN official gets ‘donkeyed’ Cyprus-style

UN official Colin Stewart was amused over two gag gifts he received at a bicommunal gathering in north Nicosia, with one elder of the group presenting him with a donkey ornament to remind him he would "need a lot of patience" on the island.

Stewart, the UN Secretary-General’s special representative in Cyprus, visited with colleagues the Buyuk Han coffee club on Saturday where they sat down with members of the bicommunal group, known for their non-political, pro-unification stance on divided Cyprus as well as for hosting other UN officials in the past on an informal, strictly-casual basis.

A video posted on social media showed Stewart smiling when the group’s two elders presented the Canadian diplomat with gifts, including a trowel and an ornament donkey named Hector.

“The symbolism is that in order to succeed in Cyprus you need a lot of patience,” club leader Andreas Paralikis said.

Paralikis, the Greek Cypriot elder of the group, went on to explain that the Cyprus Donkey was a very famous symbol for patience. Another person heard behind the camera remarked the Cypriot donkey was also known for its stubbornness.

Suleyman Erguclu, the Turkish Cypriot elder of the group, also presented Stewart with a garden trowel and later posted photos on social media, saying everyone at the gathering had a great time.

Stewart, a bilingual seasoned diplomat, is also carrying out duties as Deputy to the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, alluding to an unfilled position that has caused the two sides to clash over its official title.

Greek Cypriots in the south say they had agreed that UNSG Antonio Guterres would appoint a special representative who would report to the Security Council in order to follow up on discussions of a possible resumption of peace talks.

But Turkish Cypriots in the north say they only agreed that Guterres would have a personal envoy to Cyprus, a job title that would bypass approval by UNSC with the position reporting report directly to Guterres.

Cyprus is split between a Greek Cypriot south, which is recognized internationally as the Republic of Cyprus, and a Turkish Cypriot north recognized only by Turkey.

In January 2022 the Security Council renewed the mandate for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for another six months. UNFICYP, comprising military and civilian personnel from various contributing countries, arrived in Cyprus in March 1964 following intercommunal fighting. 

Turkish troops landed on the island in July 1974 following a short-lived Greek-inspired coup engineered by Athens. A number of UN-led peace efforts over the decades have failed to reach a settlement.