Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday evening that the Greek Cypriot side’s position on rotating presidency was clear, responding to remarks by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman that he had been informed by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, María Ángela Holguín, that the President had accepted the principle of a rotating presidency.
According to a press release from the Presidency, the President was asked about the issue upon arrival at an event in Nicosia.
‘Our positions on rotating presidency are clear,’ he said.
‘Yesterday, Mr Erhrman said what you very aptly mentioned in an interview with the Greek Cypriot press, that we do not accept rotating presidency and that this is the reason for the non-resumption of talks. Therefore, I think you should address your questions to Mr Erhrman,’ he told journalists.
Commenting on the meeting between Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Hakan Fidan and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas in Brussels, President Christodoulides said the Government had been briefed by Kallas on everything discussed, noting that messages which had been heard before were conveyed.
‘Some messages that we have heard before were conveyed. I want to be completely honest with you; everything will be judged in practice,’ he said.
The President described Holguín’ mission of as important, particularly given the timeframe of the UN Secretary-General’s term, and expressed hope that positive results would be produced towards the resumption of talks.
‘But we have to see it in practice, and in practice, at the end of the day, we will all be judged, including, of course, myself,’ he added.
In constant contact with Athens over the Turkey-Libya memorandum
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Asked whether there would be joint moves with Athens regarding the Turkey-Libya memorandum, the President said he was in constant contact with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. They spoke earlier on Thursday and exchanged views on the next steps, he said.
He added that the Foreign Minister was also in regular contact with his Greek counterpart, while discussions were taking place at European level as well.
‘We are taking the necessary steps away from the public spotlight to safeguard our sovereign rights, always on the basis of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in cooperation with our partners,’ he concluded.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.