Cyprus problem at ‘critical point’ says palace

UN efforts to move the Cyprus problem forward are at a “critical point”, head of the president’s press office Victor Papadopoulos said on Friday. The next step would be an expanded meeting with the participation of the guarantor powers – Greece, Turkey and the UK – and the EU, which would decide the resumption of negotiations for a settlement, Papadopoulos told CyBC radio. He said the 19 proposals put forward by President Nikos Christodoulides offered a way out of the deadlock concerning methodology, the substance and confidence building measures, so that a solution could be feasible. Christodoulides, he said, was doing everything possible and showing good will for talks to resume. Commenting on Friday’s visit to the occupied north by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Papadopoulos said it was “illegal and deplorable”. “Fidan’s presence in occupied Cyprus indicates that the key to the solution of the Cyprus problem lies in Ankara, where the decisions are taken,” Papadopoulos pointed out. Fidan is visiting the north just a few days ahead of a meeting on Monday between Christodoulides, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman and UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin. According to the Turkish Cypriot press, Fidan will meet Erhurman, ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel and ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu. On Thursday, Christodoulides said developments in the Cyprus problem appeared to be moving in a positive direction, revealing that Holguin had told him during a telephone conversation that specific announcements could be made over the weekend. Turkish Cypriot Tufan Erhurman speaking on Thursday night Turkish media reported that Holguin had given the two sides a Friday deadline to provide their answers on the confidence building measures, which would include the opening of four new crossing points and largescale demining. If this goes through, the UN chief may meet Christodoulides and Erhurman, followed by an expanded meeting. In a speech on Thursday evening at the 17th Bosphorus Summit, Erhurman said global changes were impacting the Turkish Cypriots. He said Turkish Cypriots have always been directly affected by the Cyprus problem, and that they are “one of the two equal founding partners on the island of Cyprus”. Erhurman assured the Turkish Cypriot side remained “committed to dialogue and diplomacy in pursuit of a settlement, and discussions are continuing within this framework”. He also said agreements concluded by the Greek Cypriot side exposed the Turkish Cypriot side to security risks, “in an attempt to establish a military balance with the Republic of Turkey”.