Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman has said that clear preparatory steps must be taken in Nicosia before a new expanded 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus problem can take place.
In a social media post, Mr Erhürman first cited remarks made by UN Secretary-General António Guterres before his departure from Cyprus.
"I must say that I secured the agreement of both sides and the guarantor powers to move towards a 5+1 meeting, provided that adequate preparation is carried out beforehand. This preparation concerns confidence-building measures, methodology and substantive issues. I do not want to hold another 5+1 meeting that produces no results. I want a successful 5+1 meeting that opens the way to a solution," Mr Guterres said, according to the post.
Commenting on the statement, Mr Erhürman argued that the UN chief's message was so clear that it required no further discussion or interpretation.
"If we want a 5+1 meeting, then there is clear 'homework' that must be done in Nicosia," he said.
Ready for weekly meetings
Mr Erhürman recalled that at the conclusion of the meeting, and in the presence of Mr Guterres, he had stated that he was ready to meet President Nikos Christodoulides once a week.
He said that position had also been made public during the press conference held immediately after the meeting.
At the same time, Mr Erhürman criticised those in both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities who say they support a settlement but who, in his view, regard the continuation of the status quo as a solution in itself.
He also criticised those who argue that the process should begin "from here or from there" without being genuinely interested in achieving a meaningful outcome.
"There are those who, in reality, think either that we should not begin at all, or that we should begin but focus only on the process. There should be a process, but no result. All these people are speaking in vain," he said.
Concluding, Mr Erhürman said the Turkish Cypriot side was proceeding "step by step" and that the obligations that must be fulfilled were entirely clear.
"We are ready, in line with our people's will for a solution. We have stated clearly that we are ready. Everything else is empty words," he said.
