Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides is expected to announce two unilateral measures aimed at benefiting Turkish Cypriots, according to reports on Tuesday. The measures are reported to involve the health sector and the economy.
Reported measures and contacts with Turkish Cypriot leader
The Cyprus News Agency reported that Christodoulides has asked Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman to give his blessing to the measures. It said Christodoulides requested Erhurman’s blessing because he does not wish to create tension and wants to build a personal relationship with his interlocutor.
UN envoy Holguin expected to return to Cyprus
The agency also reported that United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin is set to return to the island this month after travelling for contacts to Geneva, Brussels, and Washington DC. During her visit to Cyprus, she is expected to meet both Christodoulides and Erhurman, with Christodoulides having requested another tripartite meeting similar to one held in December.
Erhurman calls for accelerated technical work
Erhurman said on Monday that he hopes Holguin’s next visit will yield concrete results aimed at creating an atmosphere for a solution, and said the Turkish Cypriot side is ready for the meeting. He said his side’s request is that technical-level work be accelerated before the meeting and that Holguin’s visit produce concrete results aimed at creating the atmosphere for a solution.
Possible enlarged meeting after Holguin visit
A fresh enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem is expected in the weeks following Holguin’s visit, involving the island’s two sides, the three guarantor powers Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.
Context of previous unilateral measures
Reports of new unilateral measures come two years after Christodoulides announced a unilateral 14-point package of measures for Turkish Cypriots. At the time, the government announced an end to a block on Turkish Cypriots of mixed marriages—wherein one parent is a citizen of the Republic of Turkey—from acquiring citizenship of the Republic of Cyprus, though many Turkish Cypriots remain without Republic of Cyprus citizenship two years later.
What impact do you think the reported measures could have on efforts to create conditions for a solution?