Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman has expressed satisfaction with the outcome of Monday's trilateral meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides and the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguín, claiming that all agreements reached were based on proposals put forward by the Turkish Cypriot side.
Speaking at a press conference at the so-called presidential palace following the meeting, Erhurman outlined a series of confidence-building initiatives, which he had previously announced he would bring to the discussions.
"Looking at the results achieved today, they all stem from these proposals," he said.
Proposals focus on cooperation and confidence-building measures
According to Erhurman, the Turkish Cypriot side proposed establishing a joint mechanism to address natural disasters and other emergencies that could affect the island.
Other proposals included direct cooperation through a military mechanism and the creation of a coordination mechanism to facilitate the removal of mines from the buffer zone.
In education, Erhurman said his side had proposed an initiative called 'EduBites', under the Technical Committee on Education, as well as the resumption of the bicommunal Imagine programme.
The proposals also covered the exchange of data, information, historical artefacts and archival material through the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, alongside enhanced cooperation on environmental issues.
Erhurman added that the Turkish Cypriot side had called for restoration works to be carried out on Maronite churches.
All crossing points remain on the agenda
Particular emphasis was placed on the issue of crossing points. Erhurman said the Turkish Cypriot proposal envisaged a phased opening process covering all crossing points currently under discussion by the two sides.
However, the agreement reached at Monday's meeting was limited to the simultaneous opening of two new crossing points: Louroujina towards Lympia and Kambos towards Karavostasi.
The remaining crossing points, he said, would be referred for discussion at the planned trilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
What was agreed under UN auspices
According to the joint statement issued after the meeting, the two leaders agreed to the simultaneous opening of the two crossing points, as well as the exchange of archival material through the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage.
They also agreed to advance environmental projects through the relevant Technical Committee and resume the Imagine programme under the auspices and within the framework set by the Technical Committee on Education.
In addition, the Technical Committee on Crisis Management was instructed to work on a rapid-response mechanism for emergency situations.
The two sides further agreed to continue restoration works on specific Maronite churches and an Armenian monastery through the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage.
Christodoulides also submitted a proposal
Erhurman also revealed that President Christodoulides had put forward a proposal of his own during the meeting.
However, he declined to disclose its contents, explaining that he wished to assess it first.
