Erhurman criticises Christodoulides over proposed New York meeting

New York, United States. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said on Monday that a proposed tripartite meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides and the United Nations during the UN’s high-level week would not have produced a result. He criticised Christodoulides for arriving with 19 new points for discussion after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had put forward seven possible confidence-building measures.

Dispute over discussion points

Erhurman questioned why the 19 points had not been raised in July, when Guterres was on the island, or at other meetings there. He said replacing the seven measures with new lists of points would not lead to a solution, calling it “a meeting for the sake of a meeting”.

Erhurman said he and Christodoulides had met 11 times since he took office in October last year. He said he had accepted every request to meet in Nicosia because that was where results could be prepared.

“When we get to the point of reaching an agreement, then a tripartite meeting or an enlarged meeting can be held,” he said, questioning the value of meetings held for a photo opportunity.

Measures discussed after July visit

Erhurman said Guterres had called for progress on seven issues after visiting the island in July. He cited crossing points, mine clearance, citizenship for children born of mixed marriages, sports, joint disaster response and a joint mechanism to combat irregular migration.

Those issues were discussed at his first meeting with Christodoulides after Guterres’ departure, Erhurman said. By their next meeting a week later, he said, developments he described as undermining trust had arisen, and the meeting was devoted entirely to them.