Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has approved a new United Nations initiative aimed at resuming formal negotiations on the Cyprus problem, according to high-level sources cited by the Cyprus Mail. The sources said Turkey is willing to engage in talks if it believes there is sufficient willingness for a solution on the part of the Greek Cypriot side.
Turkey’s position
The sources said Erdogan holds a positive view of the prospect of a new initiative and believes the absence of a Cyprus settlement has imposed costs on Turkey over recent decades. They said this view is shaped in part by the support of Turkish governments led by Erdogan for both the 2004 Annan plan referendum and the 2017 negotiations in Crans-Montana.
According to the sources, Turkey’s backing for those processes, both of which were rejected by the Greek Cypriot side, reflects what they described as Erdogan’s pragmatic and constructive stance and willingness to pursue a solution to the Cyprus problem.
The sources added that Erdogan considers Turkey’s readiness to support a mutually beneficial solution as the most likely way for the country to deepen its engagement with Europe and the wider region without the Cyprus problem remaining an obstacle.
Possible enlarged meeting
The sources said Erdogan expects an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem to be convened in the coming months. Such a meeting would involve the island’s two sides, the three guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.
Holguin’s visit
Erdogan’s reported approval comes as UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin is due to arrive on the island on Sunday. She is expected to hold separate meetings on Monday with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman and President Nikos Christodoulides before travelling to Turkey and Greece.
Timing of the initiative
The timing of any new initiative has been under discussion for weeks. Erhurman said a month ago that such an initiative would begin in July, after the end of Cyprus’ six-month term holding the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency.
The Greek Cypriot side has said the initiative is already underway. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said Christodoulides had made the initiative public after meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brussels in March.
Previous UN assessment
Holguin last visited Cyprus in January, when she held a tripartite meeting with both leaders. She said afterward that no enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem could be held until further results were achieved on confidence-building measures between the two sides.