President Erhürman holds press conference following his first meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Christodoulides

President Tufan Erhürman held a press conference at the Presidency on Thursday following his first meeting with the Greek Cypriot Leader, Nikos Christodoulides, in the UN buffer zone.

President Erhürman stated that the meeting was held in a “positive and sincere” atmosphere.

President Erhürman explained that Ms. Holguín would meet separately with both leaders in December that will be followed by a trilateral meeting. He added that representatives had been authorised to continue contacts where necessary, and that he and the Greek Cypriot leader had agreed to meet, or speak by telephone if required, before 5 December, at which Ms. Holguin will be visiting the island.

President Erhürman stated:

“Today I explained that, first and foremost, we must create an environment conducive to launching a new negotiating process. To help create such an atmosphere, I presented a ten-point set of proposals to the Greek Cypriot side in the presence of the United Nations.

“The two earlier 5+1 meetings, in Geneva and later in New York, resulted in agreement on a number of initiatives. I am ready to resume from where these initiatives were left and bring them to a successful conclusion ahead of the next 5+1 meeting foreseen for the near future.”

President Erhürman added that importance was given to the opening of new crossing points and the establishment of a solar panel installation within the UN buffer zone by former President Ersin Tatar and Mr. Christodoulides.

He outlined the following ten-point proposals, stressing the need to address these issues “with a view to cultivating such a climate”:

“Mixed marriages, Crossing points, Youth contacts, CMP visit, Property-related arrests, Green Line Regulation issues, Hellim inspections, EU harmonisation, Security dialogue, Metehan roadworks”.

President Erhürman stated that, in addition to the ten-point proposals, he also officially presented a separate four-point– which he had stated many times during the election period — outlining his new methodology for achieving a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue—“drawing on past negotiating experience” that aimed at “unlocking the door to the much-desired settlement”.

Stressing that “we do not wish to go to a 5+1 meeting empty-handed,” President Erhürman said: “We do not favour an outcome where no result is achieved, as was the case in Geneva and New York. Prior to our elections it was announced that another 5+1 meeting would be convened, but we wish to attend that meeting having achieved certain tangible outcomes.”

President Erhürman added: “I will not engage in a blame game at the negotiating table, however, outside that context, I will express if need be the necessary criticisms. For example, I will set out my views on issues such as missing persons, the burning of flag, and military incidents.”

Concluding his remarks, President Erhürman explained that the four-points for the start of a new process were formulated drawing on the Annan Plan, the relevant UN documents, and the statements of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.