Students of Departments of Political Sciences and International Relations of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of Near East University hosted two guests from the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces for a round-table meeting where the role of the UNFICYP was discussed.

It was pointed out that the round-table meeting was held as part of the optional NEU module INR 406, and the two guests were UNFICYP Political Affairs Officer Remi Clavet and Political Affairs Officer with the Office of the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Celia Richardson.

According to the press release issued by the Directorate of Press and Public Relations of Near East University, several issues such as the establishment, deployment and functions of the UNFICYP, current features, difficulties encountered and the UN Mission within the negotiations to unite Cyprus were all included in the meeting agenda.

The Peacekeeping Mission of the UN and the change in the concept of protection were focused on...
The round-table meeting was realised in the meeting hall of the Near East University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences where UNFICYP Political Affairs Officer Remi Clavet provided details regarding the mission of the UNFICYP and a change which occurred over time in the concept of ‘protection’ were thoroughly scrutinized. Furthermore, Remi Clavet explained the difficulties encountered on the path of accomplishing the UN mission and added information on the experiences gained by being present in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa for more than 12 years.

Latest developments on bicommunal negotiations were discussed…
On the other hand, Political Affairs Officer with the Office of the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Cyprus, Celia Richardson informed the participating students on her duties and on latest developments regarding the settlement of the Cyprus issue. Celia Richardson further explained her experiences on preventative diplomacy, goodwill interventions and mediation processes during her stay in Guinea, Togo, Niger, Cote D`ivorie, Cameroon and Nigeria.

It was pointed out that the round-table meeting ended with the questions-answers session where the students found the opportunity to ask questions the role of the UNFICYP within current policies and various humanitarian missions of the United Nations. Furthermore, it was asserted that the students had the chance to reinforce the information they had gained at their NEU departments and gain insights from the lived experiences of specialists from the field.