Ankara, Turkey. United Nations envoy for the Cyprus problem Maria Angela Holguin met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday, concluding her latest contacts ahead of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Cyprus next week.
No official statements were issued after the meeting.
Reported Turkish position
Turkish news website T24, citing Turkish foreign ministry sources, reported that Fidan said Turkey, “as a motherland and a guarantor power, believes that the most realistic solution to the Cyprus problem lies in the coexistence of two states side by side”.
According to the report, Fidan told Holguin that approaches which do not recognise the Turkish Cypriot people’s “sovereign equality and equal international status”, based on realities on the island, would not contribute to a solution.
Brussels meetings
Earlier in the week, Holguin held separate meetings in Brussels with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the commission’s envoy for the Cyprus problem, Raffaele Fitto.
Von der Leyen said she welcomed Holguin’s engagement, alongside Guterres, to resolve the Cyprus issue within the UN framework and in line with European Union principles, values and legislation.
She said the European Commission would support the effort with all available assistance and tools, adding that Fitto was engaging with key stakeholders.
Fitto described his meeting with Holguin as an opportunity to establish a constructive working relationship and exchange initial views. He said the European Union remained fully committed to supporting the UN-led process.
Statements from Turkish officials and Erhurman
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz made similar comments during a visit to Cyprus on Monday, saying a permanent and sustainable solution required acceptance of the sovereign equality and equal international status of two states.
Yilmaz said past negotiations had been inconclusive because, in his view, the Greek Cypriot side had not accepted Turkish Cypriots as equal partners.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said on Monday that Turkish Cypriots had been willing to solve the Cyprus problem for many years. He cited their vote in favour of the 2004 Annan plan and their support for the negotiations held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in 2017.