President Erhürman sets out roadmap
President Tufan Erhürman said today that the first UN-supervised meeting with Nikos Christodoulides took place in a sincere and positive atmosphere, but warned that the island still lacks the solution-oriented climate needed for meaningful progress.
He stressed that both sides must work to rebuild this atmosphere ahead of UN Personal Envoy María Angela Holguín’s December visit.
Erhürman also revealed that he presented a 10-point proposal aimed at improving confidence and cooperation, and confirmed that representatives from both sides have been authorised to continue preparations for the next phase of talks.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, President Tufan Erhürman described Thursday’s meeting which included one hour and fifteen minutes in the presence of their teams and a fifteen-minute one-on-one session, as sincere and positive.
He noted that both sides refrained from detailed exchanges at this stage, given that Holguín will visit the island on 5–6 December for separate bilateral meetings followed by a trilateral encounter.
President Tufan Erhürman said today that the first UN-supervised meeting with Nikos Christodoulides took place in a sincere and positive atmosphere, but warned that the island still lacks the solution-oriented climate needed for meaningful progress.
He stressed that both sides must work to rebuild this atmosphere ahead of UN Personal Envoy María Angela Holguín’s December visit.
Erhürman also revealed that he presented a 10-point proposal aimed at improving confidence and cooperation, and confirmed that representatives from both sides have been authorised to continue preparations for the next phase of talks.
Erhürman said both leaders authorised their respective representatives to meet as needed, continue exchanging views, and prepare for Holguín’s arrival and the broader informal meeting to follow. He added that he and Christodoulides could meet again before 5 December if necessary and would remain in telephone contact.
Erhürman reiterated that the island still lacks a solution-oriented atmosphere and emphasised the need to rebuild one, noting that issues left from the Tatar–Christodoulides discussions in Geneva and New York remain on the table.
He proposed that certain understandings be reached ahead of Holguín’s visit to improve the climate before moving toward any possible 5+1 format.
Erhürman also said that he had presented for the first time, in the presence of UN officials a 10-point package to support a constructive atmosphere.
The proposals included resolving mixed-marriage citizenship issues and related crossing restrictions; expanding facilities and services at Metehan, Bostancı, and Derinya; advancing youth cooperation through U-14 friendly matches; a joint leaders’ visit to the CMP amid recent negative developments; addressing property-related arrests; reducing bureaucratic barriers in Green Line trade; concluding the north’s hellim certification agreement with Bureau Veritas; re-establishing the EU harmonisation committee abolished in 2017; creating a security-force communication channel; and marking the launch of the buffer-zone road-widening project at Metehan with both leaders present.
Responding to questions, President Tufan Erhürman said the leaders exchanged initial views on possible ways forward and potential areas for solutions but noted that it was too early to form any joint understanding.
He reiterated that, although the Greek Cypriot leader Christodulides’ remarks suggest a desire to resume from where talks ended in Crans-Montana, neither side directly responded to the other’s points at this stage for methodological reasons.
Erhürman stressed the importance of avoiding “trigger words” that inflame tensions, saying that he approaches the process without prejudice and will not engage in a blame game at the discussion table. He clarified, however, that outside the talks he will continue to speak firmly on issues affecting the Turkish Cypriot people—such as military agreements by the Greek Cypriot side, developments concerning the CMP, or the recent flag-burning incident.
He explained that Undersecretary Mehmet Dana is serving as the Turkish Cypriot representative, while Menelaos Menelaou represents the Greek Cypriot side, adding that broader arrangements may be considered only if full settlement negotiations begin. Erhürman also said the idea of any role linked to South Cyprus’ upcoming EU term presidency has not been considered and does not fit the equality principle he advocates.
Looking ahead, he said both sides will exchange positions over the next 10 days to prepare for the issues they aim to open and advance before the next stage of contacts.
