The diplomatic focus on the Cyprus problem has shifted to New York, where María Ángela Holguín, the personal envoy of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, is holding critical consultations at UN headquarters.
According to information obtained by Politis, Holguín is expected to meet today with Guterres. The meeting will centre on her conclusions from recent contacts in Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Brussels, as well as efforts to convene an informal five-party meeting at the end of July.
The New York consultations are considered decisive in determining the next steps, and Holguín is expected to return to the region in the coming days.
In Nicosia, meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in Cyprus, Hasim Dian, briefed members of the diplomatic community on UNFICYP activities. He is also expected to travel to New York ahead of the regular Security Council briefing on the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.
Erhürman responds to Politis report
The Sunday report by Politis editor Dionysis Dionyssiou on the settlement framework said to be under discussion by Holguín continues to generate significant reaction. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman has now weighed in with a post on social media.
Speaking in a firm tone but with a clear message of composure, Erhürman suggested there were "attempts to manipulate public debate and provoke the Turkish Cypriot side." He referred to "a discussion that has been under way for days," prompted by an article by a Greek Cypriot journalist which, he said, some had treated as entirely factual. He also raised questions about who had leaked the information, how accurate it was, and whether messages had been embedded in it that could either provoke Turkish Cypriots or reassure Greek Cypriots that "things will go their way."
"No idea without our consent"
Erhürman was unequivocal that no proposal can move forward without the agreement of the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey. "Nobody doubts, do they, that no idea to which we, as the Turkish Cypriot side, and the guarantor power Turkey do not say 'yes', will be implemented?" he said.
He also made clear that the Turkish Cypriot side will not enter any process that makes a solution impossible, leads to endless negotiations, or involves concessions on issues of equality, security and rights. He reiterated that there will be no departure from the methodology and principles the Turkish Cypriot side has set out in recent years.
Erhürman also directed implicit criticism at those who, he suggested, may be seeking to push the Turkish Cypriot side into deviating from its positions. "There is no room for either doubts or such enthusiasm. It is all in vain," he said.
"We do not do politics through leaks"
Responding indirectly to criticism of his stance, Erhürman stressed that the Turkish Cypriot side will not conduct politics through leaks or communications management. Rather than making media statements, he said he had already convened the Council of Political Parties and the Youth Coordination Body, with meetings to follow with trade unions, business organisations and journalists' groups.
"We do not engage in manipulation through the media and we will not do so," he said, adding that information on where the process stands is being communicated and will continue to be communicated through "accurate information."
Erhürman also maintained that there is "nothing hidden," noting that many of those making public statements are aware of the true picture, while adding that he does not intend to explain the Turkish Cypriot side's positions through a series of announcements or television appearances.
"We will not fall into games"
Should the aim of some parties be to provoke the Turkish Cypriot side with unfounded claims so that it reacts in a way that derails the process, only to then be presented internationally as the side unwilling to reach a solution, Erhürman was direct: "We will not fall into these games."
He said he is closely monitoring the public debate and that the Turkish Cypriot side possesses, as he put it, "sufficient intelligence, experience and knowledge" to distinguish those acting in good faith from those operating with other calculations.
"From where and how we began this process, that is where and how we continue and will continue. We will neither fall into games nor be drawn in by provocations," he concluded, assuring that he will continue to keep the Turkish Cypriot people informed "in the right ways and at the appropriate time."
