Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said he is ready to reach agreement on six of the seven issues on which UN Secretary-General António Guterres is seeking progress ahead of a broader meeting on the Cyprus issue.
Erhürman said Guterres had called for movement on confidence-building measures (CBMs), the methodology of the talks and internal issues before convening a broader 5+1 meeting. While some progress had already been made with President Nikos Christodoulides, he said he would like to see further advances.
Speaking in an interview with Sim television, as reported by Kıbrıs Postası, Erhürman said the issues identified by Guterres included crossing points, demining, citizenship rights for children born to mixed marriages, sport, joint disaster-response mechanisms and cooperation on irregular migration.
He said he was prepared to reach agreement on six of the seven issues. On crossing points, he said there were some outstanding matters but he was also ready to discuss them.
Addressing the issue of citizenship for children of mixed marriages, Erhürman argued that it was not a CBM but a human rights issue. He said that while the Republic of Cyprus' Council of Ministers could grant citizenship to a number of such children at each meeting, the key question was how the situation was viewed internationally.
According to Erhürman , Guterres included EU citizenship rights for children born to mixed marriages among the issues on which he expected progress during his recent visit.
"This right to citizenship continues to be violated," Erhürman said.
He also said the Turkish Cypriot side was prepared to assist the Greek Cypriot community in the event of a disaster.
"I declare today that we are ready to help in every way we can in the event of any disaster in the south. We are ready to help," he said.
Erhürman said such assistance should not become a diplomatic issue involving telephone calls or public statements after every incident.
"We are ready to do whatever we can," he said.
He noted that a joint disaster-response mechanism was among the issues raised by the UN secretary-general.
"A solution is something that will benefit both peoples. The lack of a solution is something that causes losses for both peoples," Erhürman said.
Describing himself as realistic about the prospects for a settlement process, he added: "Diplomacy and dialogue exist. The Secretary-General has charted the right path and this should have happened. We are ready to walk this path. But where the path leads us, we will see when we walk it."
Erhürman said the Turkish Cypriot side would continue to participate in discussions, although he described the current format as a dialogue table rather than a negotiating table.
He also said that his only scheduled meeting during a visit to New York later this month is with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Sources: CNA, Kıbrıs Postası
