At a particularly critical juncture for the Cyprus issue, with diplomatic efforts in full swing, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, is making an Friday, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, is making an illegal visit to the occupied territories. His visit comes just 24 hours before Monday’s critical trilateral meeting on November 9, with attention focused on the stance the Turkish side will take regarding proposals for confidence-building measures and the resumption of talks.
According to Turkish Cypriot media, the Turkish Foreign Minister is expected to meet at 1:00 p.m. with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhürman, followed by meetings with pseudo-Prime Minister Unal Ustel and the so-called Foreign Minister, Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu. The visit is described as a working visit, with Turkish Cypriot media reports indicating that, despite Ankara’s commitment to the two-state solution, efforts may be made to foster a positive atmosphere for the next steps in the Cyprus issue.
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Read more: Alpha News: Our side’s “yes” to the MOU package proposed by Olgin is a given
At the same time, according to the Turkish news agency ANKA, the personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General, María Ángela Olguín, has set a deadline of today for both sides to respond positively or negatively to a specific package of Confidence-Building Measures. The package includes, among other things, the opening of four new crossing points and the demining of certain areas. According to the news agency, “the two sides have come close to an agreement on the roadblocks, but they continue to disagree on the extent of the demining.”
At the center of the talks is the opening of the Athienou–Pyroi – Aglantzia crossing, which is a demand of the Greek Cypriot side; the proposed route would pass through parts of the occupied areas and the buffer zone, as part of a compromise approach. For its part, the Turkish Cypriot side is promoting the Mia Milia and Louroutzina–Lybia routes. At the same time, the package includes a proposal to connect the Tsakistra Plain with Karavostasi, along a route of approximately 18 kilometers, as an alternative following the rejection of the proposal to open Kokkina. Also on the table is the demining of 70,000 square meters on each side.
According to Alpha News, a positive response from the Greek Cypriot side to the proposed package is considered a given, with the aim of overcoming the current impasse and creating the conditions for substantive progress. Attention is now focused on Tufan Erhurman’s response, following his meeting today with Hakan Fidan. The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, spoke by phone yesterday with Ms. Olgin to seek final clarifications, stating that “we are in a waiting phase, awaiting final answers.” He added that the UN Secretary-General is being kept constantly informed, expressing hope for positive developments.
The next steps will depend on the outcome of the consultations, with a possible next step—if an agreement is reached—being a meeting between the two leaders and the UN Secretary-General in a 2+1 format, followed by an expanded 5+1 meeting. The goal remains to create the conditions for resuming talks before the end of António Guterres’s term. Specific announcements may be made over the weekend or during Monday’s trilateral meeting, which is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. As the President of the Republic emphasized, “We are constantly putting forward proposals and approaches which, I believe, if there is political will, can lead us to a resumption of talks.” Athens is also being kept constantly informed of developments, with Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kompos in telephone contact with his Greek counterpart.
