Confidence-building measures do not “replace the solution to the Cyprus problem”, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Tuesday.
He was speaking at an event held to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the coup d’état which overthrew the government led by Archbishop Makarios III in 1974, before leaving Cyprus to travel to New York for this week’s enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem.
“We know our goals; we know our aspirations. For us, the current state of affairs cannot be our homeland’s future. We are going to New York to create the conditions for the resumption of talks,” he said.
He added that he is aware of the “difficulties, problems, and challenges” which will face him in New York, but stressed, “at the same time, I know that when we first started this effort in March 2023, taking into account the Turkish approaches, there would have been no envoy appointed, no meeting in Geneva, and no appointment by the European Union”.
“I am not downplaying or overlooking the difficulties – there have always been difficulties on the Cyprus problem – but we have a clear plan, a clear design, and we will move in New York based on this,” he said.
Turning his attention to the matter of confidence-building measures, he said that “any confidence-building measures should aim to strengthen the effort to resolve the Cyprus problem on the basis of the agreed framework”.
However, he said, “it is not something that replaces the solution to the Cyprus problem, nor can it in any way replace the solution to the Cyprus problem”.
He added that confidence-building measures “should provide impetus for the resumption of talks and a solution to the Cyprus issue on the basis of the agreed framework”, that being a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
“So, yes, we are ready to discuss confidence-building measures which promote the resolution of the Cyprus issue on the basis of the agreed framework,” he added, though he stressed that “our basic red line is that we are not willing to discuss any confidence-building measures which refer to the well-known Turkish proposals and positions on a two-state solution”.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar gave a press conference at the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport ahead of his departure for New York, saying the Turkish Cypriot side has “put forward a vision for a permanent solution in Cyprus based on sovereign equality and equal international status”.
“We will never step back from this policy,” he said, before outlining his plans for the enlarged meeting.
Of Wednesday evening’s dinner with the various involved parties, he said that “this dinner will take place in an informal setting without an agenda” but stressed that “we will resolutely voice the rights and interest of our people there as well”.
He then spoke on the matter of property, in light of arrests made by the Republic of Cyprus of people accused of selling Greek Cypriot-owned property in the north, linking them to the “painful experiences the Turkish Cypriot people endured in the 1960s”.
“We will not allow the reintroduction of victimisation on property. Turkish Cypriots’ trust in their own state, law, and constitution is fundamental. We cannot allow anyone to threaten this trust,” he said.
He then reiterated his demand that the north be allowed what has been dubbed the “3Ds” – direct flights, direct trade, and direct contact.
“Our patience has reached breaking point. Direct flights, direct trade, and direct contact must be made possible. These are not bargaining chips for us, they are human rights,” he said.
Moving on to the matter of a solution to the Cyprus problem, he said a federal solution is “no longer an option”, and that “both the events in Crans Montana [in 2017] and the latest United Nations reports have shown that there is no own common ground”.
“Even the UN’s own envoy has said that a federal solution is no longer realistic,” he added, referring to UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin’s assertion last week that a federal solution is no longer a “common point of reference”.
Then, he also spoke on the matter of confidence-building measures, saying he is “open to technical cooperation with the Greek Cypriot side in areas such as the environment energy, and disaster relief”.
“However, this cooperation must be between two equal states. We are ready to work with joint committees on issues such as fires and earthquakes,” he said.
“I will once again explain the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot people to the international community in New York. We will continue our people’s honourable fight with determination. The policy we represent is a national and legitimate stance.”
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