Erhürman: We held an open and sincere meeting
President Tufan Erhürman held a press conference at the Presidency on Tuesday following his meeting in the buffer zone with Greek Cypriot Leader Nikos Christodoulides and made a statement and answered questions.
The meeting of the leaders, which lasted one and a half hours, started at 11.00am, and was held at the official residence of Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Khassim Diagne.
In his statement to the press following the meeting, President Erhürman stated the following:
“WE WILL MEET AGAIN”
“Today, following the proposal we previously made, this is my first tête-à-tête meeting with the Greek Cypriot Leader, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides. The meeting was entirely between the two of us and I would like to state that it was an open and sincere meeting.
We discussed the stage that work on Confidence-Building Measures has reached, at which points incremental progress has been achieved, and how we can move forward further. Within this framework, we decided to instruct our representatives to continue their regular meetings. We also took a decision to meet again in the near future. We continued to exchange views on substantive issues. In particular, with regard to the delays in the Confidence-Building Measures, we agreed that the Greek Cypriot representative will formally inform our Turkish Cypriot representative, Mr. Mehmet Dânâ, once these matters have been completed during their meetings. Overall, this was the summary of the meeting.
“WE CONVEYED A POSITIVE RESPONSE…”
In response to a question regarding the foot-and-mouth disease that has been observed in the South, President Erhürman stated that following the request for 20,000 vaccine doses which reached them yesterday, they contacted the Minister of Agriculture and were informed that the first 10,000 doses could be prepared by tomorrow at the latest, and the second 10,000 within a few days.
“Within this framework, I conveyed this positive response to Mr. Christodoulides,” President Tufan Erhürman stated, adding: “The outbreak of this disease is a common problem on the island, and there is a risk of transmission from both sides. We are also facing a similar situation with regard to citrus. These developments have once again demonstrated the need for coordinated work through the technical committees on such matters.”
When asked about the date of the next meeting between the two leaders, President Tufan Erhürman stated that their representatives will continue to meet frequently and that, in parallel, they agreed to come together again in the near future without delay.
President Erhürman continued:
“I conveyed to Mr. Christodoulides today the statements I made during my televised interview on NTV. Our point of approach to the process is same as that of the Republic of Türkiye. In the statements made on behalf of the Republic of Türkiye, the reason previous processes have failed to produce a settlement was emphasised as the unwillingness of the Greek Cypriot leadership to share power and prosperity of the island with the Turkish Cypriot people. In my statements to date, I have also expressed the same reasoning. I stated that this is the reason I placed political equality – to include ‘Effective Participation’ and ‘Rotating Presidency’ as the first item of our methodology proposal. We have reached a common assessment with the Republic of Türkiye that the longstanding unwillingness of the Greek Cypriot leadership regarding power-sharing and the sharing of the island’s prosperity is the reason why the Cyprus issue has remained unresolved for so long.”
In response to a question about his assessment of the meeting, President Tufan Erhürman described it as “beneficial”, reiterating that it was open and sincere, calling it “one of the most open and sincere meetings.” He noted that “Confidence-Building Measures were primarily discussed” and emphasised that the meeting also “provided us an opportunity to explain our positions on substantive matters more clearly”.
Planned visit to Karpaz school
On the question of the planned school visit in Karpaz, President Tufan Erhürman stated: “Greek Cypriot children attending the school in Karpaz are also our children. We have been working for some time to organise this visit, which I will carry out tomorrow. I will also visit Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Secondary School in Dipkarpaz. This planned visit is not taking place due to any request, so the perception that this is the case is incorrect. I conveyed this to Mr. Christodoulides. Since he stated that he did not wish to comment, I also do not wish to comment further. Without waiting for any request, we strive to embrace the children in the North as well as all other children, and to resolve the problems of all our children,” he said.
President Erhürman added that he has not received any information indicating that there is a problem at the school, adding: “Nevertheless, I prefer to visit the school myself. As we strive to resolve the problems of all our children, we will also try to resolve theirs.”
Referring to the education of Turkish Cypriots in Limassol, President Erhürman said: “This has been an existing problem since the presidency of Mr. [Mehmet Ali] Talat, when I was in his negotiation team. Turkish Cypriot students there do not have a school. There is only a class where they learn Turkish. Other subjects are not taught in Turkish. I do not come from a mindset that accepts reciprocity in human rights, especially when it concerns children. Therefore, I will go and listen to our children there as well. If they have a problem, we will try to resolve it just as we try to resolve the problems of our children in other schools -- if there is a problem. The information conveyed to me so far does not indicate that there is a particular problem.”
The International dimension of the Cyprus problem has increased
Answering a question on the Cyprus problem, President Tufan Erhürman stated: “The Cyprus problem has long surpassed being merely an intercommunal issue, and in recent times it has extended even further beyond that. Developments in the region are indeed influential on the Cyprus problem. The Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus has concluded various bilateral agreements with different countries during the period since Crans-Montana. The international dimension of the Cyprus problem is increasing. The Turkish Cypriot leader and the Greek Cypriot leader will discuss all these matters, but beyond that, this is an issue that closely concerns the region. Regional actors also have certain views regarding the process and are trying to create areas of influence.
This is a stage that the Turkish Cypriot leader and the Greek Cypriot leader must address with an approach that truly creates mutual confidence among both peoples and establishes mutual trust. If the process moves from a table of meetings to a table of negotiations, it is already known that at least the three guarantor countries will be present. There are others who have expressed a desire to be present, but we maintain a clear stance: if a negotiation table is established, there will be two leaders and the three guarantor countries, as has been the case until now.”
Convergences leading up to Crans-Montana
Regarding his previous statement on the convergences leading up to Crans-Montana, President Erhürman said: “Under the heading of exchange of views on substantive issues, I believe I had the opportunity to explain more clearly our four-point methodology, given that we held a face-to-face meeting. The second item of our four-point methodology is the principled acceptance of all convergences leading up to Crans-Montana. If a negotiation process is to be started, we should not start from scratch as if no convergence has ever been achieved. Years of effort have already been invested at the negotiation tables. To start framing discussions in terms of ‘your convergences’ and ‘my convergences’ would, in effect, mean reopening every item for renegotiation. That would amount to starting from scratch -- precisely what we are seeking to prevent. I had the opportunity to express this more clearly. Apparently, my wording was perceived as too strong. What I meant by preventing was ensuring that what I said was properly understood. The purpose of including this item is to avoid starting from zero. The convergences are already in the possession of the UN. If negotiations start, we will open and discuss them when we sit at the negotiation table. Procedurally, let us accept that convergences leading up to Crans-Montana will not be renegotiated. This is part of my methodology -- it is not related to Türkiye.”
Concerning the proposal by the Greek Cypriot leader for a second pedestrian crossing in Lefkoşa, President Erhürman said: “Mr. Christodoulides mentioned this in his statements to the press. There are currently certain problems at the Metehan crossing. These problems should be eliminated as soon as possible. However, resolving the issues at Metehan alone will not alleviate all problems related to vehicle crossings. We need a second vehicle crossing point in Lefkoşa -- for both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. If a new crossing point is opened in Haspolat, it will not be used only by Turkish Cypriots -- it will also be used by Greek Cypriots. At present, we do not have a need for a new pedestrian crossing point -- not because I am opposed to it. When we took office, we found that work had been ongoing since the term of Mr. Ersin Tatar regarding Akıncılar-Kiracıköy, Eğlence and Haspolat. Let us not disrupt what is already in the pipeline; let us conclude it. Haspolat is included in this. Mr. Tatar had previously stated that there is a need for a second vehicle crossing point and proposed Haspolat. This is not a proposal that benefits only Turkish Cypriots. Since considerable progress has been made, I wish to resolve it rather than start from scratch.
The requested location is another crossing point for pedestrians that is located some 100 -- 150 meters away from Lokmacı. . . I do not oppose this, but it does not meet the current need. I do not want the effort invested so far to be wasted by dispersing the agenda.”
In answer to a question on mixed marriages, President Erhürman stated that this remains on the agenda at every meeting and that certain developments have taken place. “I shared the data I have with Mr. Christodoulides, and the matter will remain on the agenda at the next meeting,” he said.
On the issue of providing road tax service at the Derinya-Bostancı crossings, President Erhürman stated that “we are awaiting an official completion message from the Greek Cypriot side”.