Erhurman says efforts seek to isolate Turkish Cypriots

Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said on Friday that recent efforts to discourage diplomats from attending a briefing by his undersecretary Mehmet Dana, and to cancel international events in the north, aimed to make Turkish Cypriots “walk away from the table”.

He said the Greek Cypriot leadership was continuing efforts to render Turkish Cypriots invisible despite ongoing talks, while nationalist circles in the north were also contributing to their isolation.

Briefing and international contacts

Erhurman said that neither “Barcelona”, the festival, attempts to obstruct Dana’s briefing to ambassadors in the buffer zone, legal initiatives concerning property issues, nor what he described as one-sided and biased European Parliament resolutions were matters that had been closed or left behind.

He said the attendance of ambassadors at Dana’s briefing sufficiently demonstrated that reasons offered by the Greek Cypriot side for them not to attend were not legitimate grounds for consideration by the international community.

Erhurman said his side would continue efforts to counter what he described as attempts by the Greek Cypriot leadership to make Turkish Cypriots invisible, as well as efforts to make the community visible internationally.

Criticism of both sides

He said there was a two-sided effort to make Turkish Cypriots, whom he described as one of the island’s two equal founding partners, leave the table and sever communication with the international community and its organisations.

According to Erhurman, the Greek Cypriot side wanted Turkish Cypriots to leave the table so it could continue presenting itself as the “victimised party demanding a solution”, while some in the north believed that remaining isolated and without a solution was preferable.

“The common ground is the goal of rendering the Turkish Cypriots invisible, of preventing them from connecting with the world,” he said, adding that Turkish Cypriots would not surrender to either side.

Criticism of previous approach

Erhurman also criticised his predecessor Ersin Tatar, saying no one should expect his administration to eliminate international contacts, freeze processes, refuse dialogue or diplomacy, and remain inactive while claiming to stand firm.

He said actions had been taken from all sides to undermine the morale and motivation of Turkish Cypriots, adding that “the cards have been reshuffled” because established comfort zones had been disrupted.