Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman has said he would participate in a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres if there is scope for agreement, while criticising President Nikos Christodoulides for introducing 19 new proposals without, he said, first achieving progress on seven previously identified issues.
Speaking at a press conference in the north, Erhürman reviewed his contacts on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly and said Guterres had given the two Cypriot leaders specific “homework” during his visit to the island.
According to Erhürman, this concerned both confidence-building measures and the methodology for the next stage of the Cyprus process.
He said progress on these issues would determine whether Guterres decides to convene another expanded 5+1 meeting.
‘Christodoulides came with 19 new proposals’
Erhürman identified seven issues which he said had been raised in the context of confidence-building measures:
- Crossing points
- Demining
- Creation of a joint disaster-response mechanism
- Cooperation on irregular migration
- Creation of a civil society consultative mechanism
- Sport
- Citizenship for children of mixed marriages
According to Erhürman, the seven issues were discussed during three separate meetings with Christodoulides.
“As if the seven points had never existed, Christodoulides came to the last meeting with 19 new proposals,” he said, arguing that no substantive progress had been achieved on the issues originally put before the two sides.
Erhürman also referred to statements made by Guterres on 16 September, which he said indicated that “the conditions for a successful meeting have not yet been created” and that mistakes of previous processes should not be repeated.
Against this background, Erhürman said he did not travel to New York intending to meet Christodoulides.
Erhürman says trilateral was not on agenda
Erhürman also provided his account of a meeting he held on 24 September with Guterres’ Personal Envoy for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín.
According to the Turkish Cypriot leader, the possibility of a trilateral meeting in New York was not raised during that discussion.
“The possibility of a trilateral meeting was not put on the agenda,” he said.
Erhürman said Christodoulides had proposed holding a trilateral meeting on 5 September, through Holguín.
On the same day, he added, Mehmet Dana met UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo, but according to Erhürman, the possibility of a trilateral meeting was not raised there either.
A subsequent meeting in New York involving Dana, Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou and Holguín also made no reference to a meeting between the two leaders and the UN Secretary-General, Erhürman said.
‘If there is scope for agreement, I will participate’
Erhürman also detailed the response he gave to a proposal which he said was subsequently conveyed to him by Holguín.
“We have seven pieces of homework. If there is a possibility of agreement on some of them and if Guterres has time, I will participate in such a meeting,” he said.
According to Erhürman, Holguín did not provide an immediate response and said she would return to the matter.
The Turkish Cypriot leader also claimed that when he arrived in New York on 23 September, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Cyprus sent a letter to international organisations asking that meetings not be arranged with Turkish Cypriot officials.
