Cypriot leaders fail to agree on new measures

NICOSIA

Turkish Cyproiot President Tufan Erhürman (R), met with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides (L), in the UN-controlled buffer zone. (AA Photo)

Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman said he and his Greek Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides, failed to reach an agreement on new confidence-building measures during a meeting on Sept. 9.
Erhürman and Christodoulides held an approximately hour-long meeting in the buffer zone on Sept. 9 as part of their efforts to advance the Cyprus settlement process.

“The main issues discussed during the meeting were confidence-building measures and methodology,” Erhürman said in a written statement following the talks.

He said that while the two sides were unable to agree on new confidence-building measures for a significant part of the meeting, they also exchanged views on “external and internal initiatives that are eroding even the existing level of trust.”

Erhürman said he had underlined the importance of establishing the “conducive climate” referred to by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres if the negotiation process was to make progress.

He added that the two sides needed not only to introduce new measures aimed at building confidence but also to avoid steps that could further undermine trust.

Erhürman’s remarks followed his earlier criticism of what he described as efforts by the Greek Cypriot side to prevent international events from taking place in the north.

Among the incidents he cited were attempts to cancel a children’s football camp organized by Barcelona, as well as a music festival in Kyrenia.

He also criticized Nicosia’s efforts to strengthen its ties with Israel, arguing that such moves risk complicating efforts to build trust.