Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Thursday rejected as baseless media claims about the direction and progress of discussions on the Cyprus problem, saying such reports may be intended to provoke the Turkish Cypriot side. He also said there was no hidden information about the current state of the process.
Response to media reports
Erhurman said a debate that had continued for days was based on an article written by a Greek Cypriot journalist and was being accepted as entirely true. He said questions should be asked about who leaked the information, how accurately it was leaked, and whether baseless messages were inserted during the leak to specifically provoke Turkish Cypriots.
He added that messages may also have been inserted into the reports to reassure Greek Cypriots by suggesting that they would get what they wanted.
Position on negotiations
Erhurman said no proposal would be implemented without the approval of the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey in its role as a guarantor power. He also said the side seeking a solution would not follow a path that would make a settlement impossible, trap the parties in endless negotiations again, compromise the equality, security, and rights of Turkish Cypriots on the island, or return the process to the starting point.
He asked whether there were doubts that his side would remain within the methodology and principles it had previously set out. He also said there was no room for doubt or optimism among those hoping the Turkish Cypriot side could be diverted from those principles.
Rejection of provocation claims
Erhurman said his side, which had stated from the beginning that it would conduct the process seriously, patiently, calmly, and resolutely, would not be swayed by provocation and manipulation.
He said his side was not manipulating anything through the media and would not do so. Instead, he said, meetings had been held with political parties and the youth coordination desk, and further meetings would take place with trade unions and economic organisations.
Information on the process
Erhurman said accurate information on the current state of the process was being conveyed and would continue to be conveyed. He added that there was nothing hidden in that regard.
