Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said religious pilgrimages by communities crossing between northern Cyprus and the island’s southern two thirds will be organised through six-month programmes agreed by the two sides. He said President Nikos Christodoulides accepted the proposal during a meeting on Friday.
Six-month scheduling proposal
Erhurman told a press conference that the proposal aims to prevent problems arising on the day of a ceremony or pilgrimage by planning in advance. “We presented the following proposal: instead of experiencing problems when holding individual ceremonies, let us create six-month programmes,” he said.
He said any discussions about the programmes should take place well before events are held, rather than on the day itself. He added that he proposed “common solutions should be found” and that programmes should be scheduled in six-month periods so that problems do not arise on the day.
Responsibilities and next steps
Erhurman said that “the colleagues we assign will begin their work.” He added that for pilgrimages in the north, the matter will fall under the responsibility of the north’s ‘foreign ministry’.
Problems cited on both sides
Erhurman said the proposal follows problems regarding religious ceremonies and worship on both sides. He said Turkish Cypriots have faced issues related to worship services at the Hala Sultan Tekkesi, while Greek Cypriots, Maronites and Armenians have faced problems regarding ceremonies in the north.
He said the approach is grounded in freedom of religion and conscience, referring to an earlier problem in Larnaca regarding a visit to the Hala Sultan Tekkesi and misunderstandings regarding ceremonies at the Sourp Magar monastery.
UN statement and broader context
The United Nations said after Christodoulides and Erhurman met on Friday that they agreed to “work for the preparation of a plan for the conduct of religious services throughout the island”.
Regarding the cancelled visit to the Sourp Magar monastery in the Kyrenia district, Christodoulides earlier said he saw “a tendency on the part of some to create obstacles to this great effort” to produce conditions conducive to progress towards resuming formal negotiations on the Cyprus problem. He said he expects Erhurman to face these problems and challenges from wherever they come to demonstrate readiness and that both sides are moving in the same direction.
What do you think the six-month programmes will change for religious services and pilgrimages across Cyprus?