We are entering a period in which diplomacy is being shaped on the ground.
He was elected on October 19, took office on October 24.
We are impatient.
We complained, saying it was too late.
However, even before the ink of the first decision he signed had dried, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman this week is in Ankara, as the guest of President Erdoğan.
It is a phenomenon that has much more meaning than merely making the first visit to Ankara.
Of course, for some it is only protocol, for others a “necessary” courtesy visit.
But there is much more.
It is the strongest sign that the stones in the Cyprus file have begun to move, that a new calibration is under way.
The meaning is not in the symbol, but in the timing
Erhürman’s visit to Ankara is not merely a welcoming ceremony.
Let us remember: after taking office, Ersin Tatar met the President of Türkiye after four days, Mustafa Akıncı after six days, Derviş Eroğlu after 37 days, Mehmet Ali Talat after 109 days.
If Erhürman could have been hosted in Ankara just a few days after taking office, of course we would have been very happy.
However, being hosted in Ankara on the nineteenth day after the new Turkish Cypriot leader took office is not a late date considering Ankara’s heavy protocol schedule; it is also a sign of Türkiye’s desire to carry the new period onto the field without delay.
The message of the splendid ceremony to be held at the Presidential Complex is clear:
“The will of the Turkish Cypriot people is fundamental for us, and showing respect for that will is our responsibility.”
This symbolism is more than bringing to Ankara the echo of the 41-gun salute fired during Erhürman’s swearing-in in Nicosia – it is an attempt by both sides to resynchronize their diplomatic rhythm.
A new leader, a new search for balance
That sentence Erhürman repeated throughout his campaign still rings in the ears:
“I will not fight with Ankara.”
This statement should be read not as “submission” but as “rational cooperation.”
Because Erhürman’s election represents moving beyond the dilemma of “federation or two states,” toward a formula of two sovereign entities on the island living together under one loose roof on the basis of equality.
It seems that Ankara is also determined to bring this onto a pragmatic partnership ground.
Contrary to expectations, establishing cooperation between Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot leadership based on mutual trust and nourished by joint action is only possible through such an understanding.
It is not yet certain; I am sure that during the meeting at the Presidential Complex Erhürman will once again voice it and invite Erdoğan to the island.
A possible surprise visit by Erdoğan to the island on November 15, the anniversary of the Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence, could completely invalidate the expectation that “Ankara and Lefkoşa will clash.”
Diplomacy of the field, not of the table
The timing of the meeting held in Ankara is as important as its content.
On December 4, the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar is coming to the island; on the 5th she will meet with Erhürman, on the 6th with Nikos Christodoulides. Until Dec. 12, she will consult Turkish and Greek top executives in Ankara and Athens as well.
After these meetings, it is expected that by the end of December, the 5 + 1 format – Türkiye, Greece, the United Kingdom, both sides and the UN – will convene again in Geneva.
This round will be different from previous ones.
No one any longer has the patience for long “talks for the sake of talking.”
Erhürman’s statement, “We will not be at the table to be there, but to achieve results,” seems to be the motto of this new period.
The Cyprus field, microcosm of the expanding alignment
Türkiye is now drawing a wide diplomatic arc extending from the Aegean to the Caspian.
This arc is shaped not only by defence or energy policies, but also by practices of diplomacy.
With Kazakhstan’s announcement of joining the Abraham Accords, normalization with Israel in Central Asia is opening the way, while Ankara assumes the role of the central country re-establishing the regional balance.
Cyprus is the western end of this line – the test area in the Mediterranean.
Therefore, Erhürman’s visit to Ankara symbolizes not only the representation of the Turkish Cypriot people, but also Türkiye’s return to the regional equation as the “central backbone.”
This “arc of alignment,” expanding from the Aegean to the Caspian, reminds us that it is now time to read the Cyprus file not only on the island scale but on the Eurasian scale.
Expected and possible results
Erhürman’s contacts in Ankara may produce results under three headings:
- Coordination and trust:
A confidence mechanism to be strengthened again between the two could isolate the “parallel diplomacy” problems that may arise during negotiation periods.
- Acceleration of the process:
Ahead of the contacts that will begin in December, Turkish Cypriot coordination with Türkiye could prepare the ground at the UN for a “more structured, scheduled and result-oriented” negotiation format.
- Economic and social integration:
Of course, Erhürman is not the head of the executive, but the Turkish Cypriots have joint projects with Türkiye especially in the areas of health, energy, transport and digital transformation.
Harmony at the level of leaders and the directives to be given will directly affect the expectations of the Turkish Cypriot people.
The Greek Cypriot side will probably see this picture as the “consolidation of the two-state solution” and will respond coldly.
But Holguín Cuéllar’s initiative may perhaps bring a new diplomatic breath to a process long blocked.
And now, the turn of the field
Diplomacy requires labour, coordination, dedication and determination.
Neither the map drawn at the table nor the give-and-take in other areas is possible without mastering the file.
This meeting in Ankara, just like the 41-gun salute back in Lefkoşa, is not merely a symbolic echo; it is the harbinger of taking to the field.
Cyprus diplomacy no longer waits on the file shelves; it is in motion, alive, a process seeking direction.
But let us remind: going down to the field does not mean winning the game.
The ball is now in motion; what will determine its direction is wisdom as much as courage.
And this time, seeing that wisdom coming into play again in both Lefkoşa and Ankara is promising.