Erhurman says conditions for new Cyprus 5+1 meeting have not been met

Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said on Thursday that conditions for a new 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus problem had not yet been met.

He made the statement after talks with President Nikos Christodoulides, which he described as better than their previous meeting.

UN meeting prospects

Erhurman confirmed that no trilateral meeting or 5+1 session was planned on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

He said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ remarks on Wednesday that there was still much work to be done and that past mistakes could not be repeated were significant.

Erhurman reiterated that any expanded meeting should be results-oriented rather than symbolic. He said tangible progress between the two leaders at the Cypriot level must precede such a meeting.

Issues discussed

Erhurman said the two leaders discussed the memorandum of understanding and the core of the Cyprus problem.

According to Erhurman, Christodoulides presented new ideas during the meeting, to which he responded with his own views. He said any memorandum should avoid steps that undermine trust.

Trust concerns

Erhurman cited the cancellation of two music festivals, a Barcelona football academy event, the Republic of Cyprus foreign ministry’s response to Turkish Cypriot representative Mehmet Dana’s meeting with foreign ambassadors in the buffer zone, and decisions taken by the European Parliament.

He said the Turkish Cypriot side had now agreed on six of the seven points raised by Guterres during his visit to Cyprus in July.