The two leaders met on Tuesday and agreed to meet again next week ahead of UN Personal Envoy María Ángela Holguín’s arrival to Cyprus on Thursday, as well as attend a trilateral meeting with her on 9 November.
This was their first meeting since they broke bread together at a social gathering in Pyla on Saturday, where they shared smiles and zivania for the first time since Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman came to office.
According to a UN statement, the two leaders had a “constructive” meeting for over an hour and a half at the UN Protected Area in Nicosia on Tuesday, continuing discussions on confidence-building measures (CBMs), methodology and substance.
They welcomed the upcoming arrival of Holguín on 29 October, noting that the two will hold bilateral meetings with the UN envoy before convening a trilateral on 9 November.
“They agreed to proceed with the initiatives related to the environment and the exchange of cultural artifacts,” said the UN statement.
Before Holguín’s return to Cyprus next Thursday, President Nikos Christodoulides and Erhürman will jointly attend meetings of the Technical Committees on Cultural Heritage and Youth, as well as the Steering Committee of the Civil Society Consultative Body.
According to Christodoulides, they will likely meet again next Tuesday to continue their discussions.
Substance and methodology
Speaking on his return from the leaders’ meeting, the president said most of the discussion focused on issues of substance and methodology.
Both leaders asked many questions and gave many clarifications, he told reporters.
Christodoulides predicted that substance and methodology will dominate the agenda during discussions with the personal envoy following her arrival.
Asked if he would ask the UN envoy to share the convergences document with the sides rather than wait until negotiations start, the president replied: “On such matters, I prefer to act first and then brief you.”
Environmental initiatives
On CBMs, the president said Greek Cypriot proposals had spearheaded development of environmental initiatives and the exchange of cultural artefacts.
According to Politis sources, the environmental initiatives include an effort to ensure high-level information on air quality across the island will be available and easily accessible to all Cypriots. A second initiative includes mapping the sources, quantity and quality of microplastics on the island. Once experts can recognise the problem, they will then be able to propose solutions through consultations with local and possibly foreign experts that both communities may follow. As one source put it, the approach is “low politics, high science”.
Crossing points and ‘new ideas’
Asked about crossing points, Christodoulides said he was awaiting a response to a specific proposal from his list of 19 “new ideas” after Erhürman had asked for some clarifications during Tuesday's meeting.
Asked to elaborate, the president said he would not reveal his 19 points publicly while dialogue is ongoing but committed to do so at some stage, “so that the Cypriot people are informed.”
He noted that a number of the 19 “new ideas” relayed to Erhürman last month have since been rejected while Christodoulides said he awaits a response on six or seven, without that meaning those rejected will be forgotten.
The president argued proposals have been rejected in the past only to come to fruition later, pointing to the fact it took two years for the other side to accept the establishment of a Technical Committee on Youth.
EU-Turkey track
On prospects of an expanded conference taking place, Christodoulides said two factors will play a decisive role: the discussion on substance and methodology during Holguín’s visit to Cyprus and the EU-Turkey track.
On the latter, he noted a “very important meeting” was due to take place on Tuesday, which Nicosia is waiting to be briefed on.
Asked whether he was referring to a meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and European Council President Costa, the President said: “I do not wish to comment, since the EU has not made any announcement.”
According to Hurriyet Daily News, Fidan is on a three-day visit to Brussels for bilateral meetings with Belgian officials but also to meet EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Customs union upgrade
Speaking to Politis on Tuesday, informed sources said the main effort on the EU-Turkey track now is not visa liberalisation or SAFE participation, but the start of discussions on upgrading the EU-Turkey Customs Union.
Despite its obligations, Ankara currently does not apply the existing customs union to Cyprus. It remains to be seen what the EU can offer Ankara in this regard and whether starting a conversation on upgrading the customs union can take place without Turkey first having to apply the existing union to all 27 member states.
Holguín’s message
In a message published by Politis last Saturday, Holguín called on the two leaders to agree on CBMs and the rules of a future negotiating process. She took them to task for failing to agree on a new crossing point, demining or even countermeasures against plastic pollution after many months of dialogue.
She called on them not to confuse methodology for substance, noting that the former establishes how the agenda is negotiated, while the latter determines what is negotiated.
Erhürman interview
The Turkish Cypriot leader did not make any comments after the leaders’ meeting. Meanwhile, in an interview with Politis, Erhürman set acceptance in principle of a rotating presidency as a necessary precondition for the resumption of talks, while rejecting any link to guarantees. He also indicated that trust between the leaders remained elusive.
