One day after the one-on-one meeting between Christodoulides and Erciyuman, which took place in the UN Protected Area, the Turkish Cypriot leader issued a written statement, noting that “the meeting took place against the backdrop of the negative developments of recent days, and at the outset, we conveyed our views on these issues and stated that these developments run counter to the fundamental logic of confidence-building measures, the importance of which was emphasized by the Secretary-General and which Ms. Olgin also underscored as an essential prerequisite for holding the 5+1 meeting.”
On this point, Mr. Erhurman added that these developments “rather than increasing trust, further undermine it.”
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Regarding confidence-building measures, the Turkish Cypriot leader said that his side has declared itself ready “to make progress on the issues listed by the Secretary-General, namely the removal of minefields, new crossing points, the citizenship rights of our children born to mixed marriages, issues related to sports, and the creation of joint mechanisms in the areas of irregular migration and natural disaster response.”
Regarding the methodology, the Turkish Cypriot side explained that “in particular, together with the substance of what political equality entails, it constitutes the core of the Cyprus problem, and that this issue cannot be subject to ‘exchange’ for other issues.”
“We explained that for this reason, unless there is clarity on this issue, it will not be possible to make progress on the remaining elements of the methodology, including ‘convergences,’ or on substantive issues,” he emphasized.
As a result of the meeting, Mr. Erhurman noted, “in accordance with the proposal we had made previously, we agreed to meet once a week.”
“Ms. Olgin is expected to arrive on the island at the end of the first week of September. We will continue to work in good faith, in accordance with the will of our people for a settlement, and convey directly to our counterpart our views regarding the negative developments during the process, the risks they pose to the process, and the tests of sincerity they present. The table is a table for dialogue, and words are spoken face to face,” the Turkish Cypriot leader concluded.
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