Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman has argued that the European Union should not participate directly in negotiations on the Cyprus issue, but should instead support the process from outside the negotiating table.
In an interview with Turkish newspaper Gazete Pencere following his meeting with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, Erhürman said discussions were continuing in "full consultation and coordination" with Ankara and that there were no disagreements with the Turkish government.
Four conditions
He said the Turkish Cypriot side was not opposed in principle to a new 5+1 format involving the guarantor powers — Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom — but stressed that meaningful negotiations would require preparatory groundwork beforehand.
“We do not take the position that a 5+1 meeting should not take place if conditions have not been fully formed,” he said. “However, for such a meeting to be held, we must know that preliminary preparations have been made.”
Erhürman reiterated four key conditions that he believes should underpin any renewed process. These include political equality not being subject to negotiation, the establishment of a clear timetable for talks, confirmation of previous convergences reached by the two sides, and assurances that there would be no return to the current status quo if the Greek Cypriot side were to withdraw from negotiations again.
“We will not participate in a framework without a timetable and without a deadline. The United Nations is well aware of this,” he said.
No tensions with Ankara
Addressing his relationship with Ankara, Erhürman dismissed suggestions that tensions could emerge with the Turkish government, saying that all developments concerning the Cyprus issue are traditionally conducted in consultation with Turkey.
“At present, we are in full consultation and coordination, and this continues on a daily basis. We are in direct contact at every stage. We are conducting the process in complete coordination and consultation without encountering any problems whatsoever,” he said.
On the role of the European Union, Erhürman argued that the bloc could not be part of the negotiations because the Republic of Cyprus is an EU member state and, in his view, the Union's participation would undermine the neutrality of the process.
“The common position of Turkey and ourselves is that the European Union cannot be one of the parties sitting at the negotiating table,” he said.
Role of EU
He added, however, that the EU could and should contribute through its own mechanisms outside the talks, particularly on issues relating to the easing of isolation measures and direct trade.
“I believe that this time the European Union owes us a contribution, not by being present at the table, but by facilitating the process through actions taken outside it,” he said.
Erhürman declined to express either optimism or pessimism regarding the prospects of the latest diplomatic efforts, saying it was too early to draw conclusions.
“In an environment where the UN Secretary-General says he is undertaking a new initiative, it would not be right to say there is no hope,” he said. “We will try to contribute to the process in good faith, but it is still far too early for me to say whether I am optimistic or pessimistic.”
