President Nicos Christodoulides continues to insist that the Cyprus problem is not at an impasse, despite the broader picture of limited movement and the absence of substantive progress.
His position comes after separate meetings by the two Cypriot leaders with the United Nations Secretary-General in New York produced no tangible breakthrough. UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy María Ángela Holguín has also pointed to the absence of the conditions needed for meaningful dialogue.
Christodoulides is due to brief the National Council on Wednesday on developments in New York and the Greek Cypriot side’s assessment of them.
President rejects deadlock
Despite the outcome of the New York contacts, Christodoulides maintains that “under no circumstances are we at an impasse”.
He argues that the Greek Cypriot side is putting forward specific and constructive proposals concerning methodology, the substance of negotiations and confidence-building measures.
The president has also cited the UN Secretary-General’s commitment to restarting the process and the role the European Union could play in relation to Turkey.
However, statements made by Holguín present a different picture, with no substantive indication so far that the two sides are closer to restarting negotiations.
Holguín warns over political will
The UN envoy has referred to a lack of political will, cooperation and efforts to identify mutual benefit, while warning that the favourable moment for peace efforts is gradually being lost.
She has also stressed the need to implement confidence-building measures that have already been agreed, rather than create additional obstacles before a new negotiating process has even begun.
The differing interpretations of recent developments highlight the continuing gap between the two sides, both over the process and the substance of negotiations.
Erhürman raises concerns over new proposals
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman has also raised concerns regarding confidence-building measures.
He argues that instead of moving ahead with discussions on the UN Secretary-General’s proposals for measures already on the table, the Greek Cypriot side presented 19 new proposals.
According to Erhürman, this creates the impression that the agenda is being changed and the goalposts shifted.
Focus on the domestic audience
Against this backdrop, Christodoulides’ repeated assertion that there is no deadlock appears to be directed more towards the domestic political audience than to reflect substantive developments as presented by the UN Secretary-General and Holguín.
The president’s insistence at this stage relates primarily to the fact that the diplomatic process remains active, rather than indicating that a specific breakthrough is imminent.
The UN continuing to pursue the conditions needed for negotiations means that the process has not been abandoned. It does not, however, mean that the necessary momentum for a substantive restart has already been established.
Holguín’s return to Cyprus in October will indicate whether there is scope to reverse the current climate.
For now, the process continues through statements and diplomatic contacts but still lacks what is considered the central requirement for a substantive restart: sufficient political will.
