Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2023 to Question 3452 on Cyprus: Land Mines, what progress the Government has made on encouraging the Greek Cypriot administration to join efforts to de-mine the island of Cyprus.

The UK is unequivocal in its support for a mine-free Cyprus. As UN Security Council penholder on Cyprus and a leading troop contributor to United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), we led the drafting of UN Security Council Resolution 2723 in January to renew UNFICYP's mandate and welcomed its unanimous adoption. The resolution included language urging both leaders to overcome existing barriers and expedite demining progress in Cyprus. We engage all sides to encourage the flexibility needed to make progress on tangible cooperation now, and ultimately to reach a just and lasting Cyprus settlement.