Erhurman stresses support for UN initiative as Cyprus problem efforts continue

Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Thursday stressed his support for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ efforts to bring about a resumption of negotiations in earnest on the Cyprus problem, as efforts on all sides continue to gear up. “We had shared with our people months ago that there would be movement in the process starting in July, following the elections and the [Council of the European Union] rotating presidency in the south. Yesterday was the first day of July. Our people’s will for a solution is clear,” he began. To this end, he said that “we have stated that we support Guterres’ efforts”, and that “we continue to support them”, before making reference to his four-point methodology, which he says must be fulfilled for negotiations to resume. “Our principles and methodology have been shared repeatedly with all parties and our people. These are clear and known to everyone. We are closely following and evaluating all international initiatives which have the potential to influence developments regarding the Cyprus issue,” he said. He added that “we will not be a tool for provocations or games, no matter which side they come from”, and said that instead, “I think our patience, composure, seriousness, and determination are now known to everyone”. Then, he passed comment on the various media reports which have surfaced in weeks offering suggestions as to the status of progress in talks on the Cyprus problem, saying that “we had said that there was no formal plan, only some ideas”. “If anyone had doubts, I think that there should be no doubts with the new statements,” he added, in reference to remarks made by UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin on Wednesday, in which she said the reports were “rich in assumptions and creativity”. On this front, he said that “we will continue to inform our people in a timely manner about every meaningful development”. “As we always say, we have neither engaged in, nor will we engage in the peddling of despair or hope, because we have no intention or need to reap political gain from any process or outcome,” he said. He added that “our only concern is the rights, future, equality, security and connection with our people’s world, especially that of our children and the preservation of the position of Turkish Cypriots as active participants”. “We are extremely calm, we are working tirelessly and we are determined,” he said. Holguin herself had on Wednesday called on Cypriots to “seize this historic opportunity to negotiate a lasting solution” and said that Guterres is “evaluating which could be the next phases that will convince both parties to take concrete steps towards a final solution”. Looking ahead, she said that she will “continue sparing no effort” to work with Guterres “with the view to supporting Cypriots reaching an understanding and a final agreement that will bring security and prosperity to the whole island”. In this endeavour, her next meeting will be with European Council President Antonio Costa in Brussels on July 13, with that meeting having been postponed until after next week’s Nato summit, which will take place in Ankara. Ahead of that Nato summit, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, and Internal Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner all visited Turkey and signed a joint declaration with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan offering their support for Guterres’ efforts in Cyprus. The summit itself, too, could play a role in the ramping up of efforts on the Cyprus problem, given that it will be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attended by the leaders of Cyprus’ other two guarantor powers, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. While Cyprus is not expected to top next week’s agenda, the summit will take place with discussions regarding security guarantees in a post-solution Cyprus centring on the idea of those guarantees being provided through a Nato-based structure. Those guarantees may come in the form of the new Cypriot republic’s accession to Nato, alongside the presence of Nato troops from Turkey, Greece, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the island. However, when questioned on the prospect of Holguin meeting Nato officials while in Brussels, which is also the seat of Nato’s headquarters, and of Nato-based security guarantees in a post-solution Cyprus, a Nato official told the Cyprus Mail that “there are no meetings planned with the envoy and the topic has not been discussed at Nato”. After Holguin’s contacts in Brussels later this month, she will return to Cyprus with a view to holding more meetings with both Erhurman and President Nikos Christodoulides with a view to convening an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem. That meeting will involve the island’s two sides, its three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the UN, and will likely take place next month.