Christodoulides: ‘no alternative but to solve Cyprus problem’

President Nikos Christodoulides has reiterated that there is “no other option” than resolving the Cyprus problem, saying the Greek Cypriot side is ready to resume negotiations immediately ahead of his meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Tuesday. Speaking at the national refugee meeting in Achna Forest on Friday, Christodoulides said his proposals addressed issues raised by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the substance of negotiations and confidence-building measures. He said the proposals could create the conditions for talks to resume and would form the basis of his message to Erhurman at their meeting next week. “For us, there is no plan B, for us there is no other option than to resolve the Cyprus problem,” Christodoulides said, reiterating his commitment to “ending the occupation and reunifying the island”. Related Articles • Erhurman warns against ‘leaking’, ‘manipulation’ after reported Varosha proposal • Letymbiotis hopes for ‘tangible steps’ in ‘immediate future’ on Cyprus problem • ‘The Blue Homeland is for us’: Cypriot MEPs excoriate Turkey • Fitto: without Cyprus solution East Med de-escalation impossible • MEPs to debate ‘persistent Turkish provocations’ in eastern Mediterranean • Complaints over Barcelona camp, festival cancellations ‘noted’ by EU, Erhurman says He said the Greek Cypriot side would “exhaust every opportunity to restart substantive negotiations within the agreed framework”, despite what he described as “difficulties” arising from the Turkey’s position. “Fifty-two years later, the essence of the Cyprus problem remains the illegal occupation of part of the territory of a member state of the United Nations and the European Union, as well as the systematic violation of individual rights and freedoms,” he said. Christodoulides insisted that the Greek Cypriot side had demonstrated its political will through “actions” during his three-and-a-half years in office. He also pointed to support from EU institutions and member states, as well as Guterres’s stated commitment to a settlement within the UN framework. He called on the Turkish Cypriot side to participate in negotiations, saying that “all sides will be tested at the negotiating table”. Path forward remains tenuous The meeting with Erhurman comes amid renewed disagreement over how to restart the process, with both sides having presented differing views on proposals and the conditions needed for substantive talks. Earlier this week, reports emerged that Christodoulides had proposed the return of Greek Cypriots to Varosha under UN administration, alongside the opening of Famagusta port to international maritime traffic under EU supervision. Erhurman subsequently rejected reports that he had initially accepted the proposal before withdrawing his support following instructions from Ankara. In a statement on Friday, Erhurman warned against what he described as “leaking”, “distortions” and “manipulations”. He said the meeting between the two leaders had been held privately and questioned how details of his alleged response could have reached the press. He also refuted the notion that he had consulted any Turkish official regarding the reported proposal. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis has declined to confirm the specific details of the reported Varosha initiative, saying Christodoulides’s 19 proposals addressed all three areas identified by Guterres as necessary for progress towards an expanded meeting. Window of opportunity closing Guterres said during a visit to Cyprus in July that an enlarged meeting involving the two leaders and the UN would be convened only after adequate progress had been made on confidence-building measures, the methodology of negotiations and the substance of the Cyprus problem. The 19 proposals have themselves become a point of contention, for Erhurman previously criticised them as an obstacle to progress, arguing that the two sides should instead focus on seven issues identified during earlier discussions with the UN secretary-general. Letymbiotis has argued that rejecting proposals without discussing them would not advance the process, while maintaining that a meeting involving Guterres could help establish a way forward. The UN has also warned that the opportunity to revive negotiations may narrow as tensions rise in the Middle East and the Levant. UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin said last month that the favourable window for restarting talks was “gradually closing”. Addressing Friday’s refugee meeting, Christodoulides recalled the people displaced from their homes in 1974 who sought refuge in Achna and other government-controlled-areas. He said their experiences “reinforced the responsibility to continue efforts towards reunification”.