New Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman plans to meet with President Nikos Christodoulides in the coming weeks, without the UN present, while a meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy María Ángela Holguín will likely take place on December 5.
Speaking after his first meeting with new UN Special Representative and UNFICYP head Khassim Diagne on Friday, Erhürman said he and Christodoulides agreed during their recent phone conversation to meet in the coming weeks.
The two leaders agreed that the meeting would not include the UN but their own respective representatives. Despite reports that former Colombian diplomat Holguín would meet the two leaders in November ahead of the next ‘5+1’ meeting by the end of the year, Erhürman told reporters his first official meeting with Holguín would likely take place on December 5.
One possible explanation for the delayed meeting is to give time for the new Turkish Cypriot leader to convey his positions to Ankara in favour of a federal solution as opposed to two separate states, and to jointly formulate a plan of action for the road ahead.
‘5+1’ by end of year?
Politis to the point understands that this later date for the meeting likely means that the UN personal envoy will not come to Cyprus in November, as originally thought. This still leaves time to arrange an enlarged meeting of the two leaders and guarantor powers under UN auspices by the end of the year, assuming all relevant actors are available under short notice, otherwise it will have to be arranged for the new year.
Holguín is keen to have the ‘5+1’ enlarged meeting by the end of the year as planned, which would make it the third of its kind in 2025. Should she succeed, then the sides, including the new Turkish Cypriot leader, would have an opportunity to match the ‘cheer and goodwill’ of the festive period with joint announcements.
‘Results-orientated’ Technical Committees
In the meantime, Erhürman told the UN’s Diagne during their first meeting that his aim is for the 13 bicommunal technical committees to adopt a “results-orientated” approach.
He explained that he wanted the committees to work to a very intensive timetable, noting that committee members serve on a voluntary basis.
Erhürman pledged to provide full support to all the committees so they can deliver outcomes and, where problems arise, resolve them.
“As you know, the primary mission of the committees is to produce results that facilitate daily life and build confidence between the two communities. We therefore conveyed that we value this and will support their work with a results-orientated approach,” he added.
The two agreed to remain in constant contact to address any potential, unwanted problems that may arise, said Erhürman, noting that the meeting ended on a very positive note
“We wished him success in his new role and expressed our confidence in his impartiality and fair stance,” he said.