Front Page Headlines
We’re derailed
The Geneva Summit ended without any results. The Turkish side announced it was leaving the UN framework of the talks. The UN Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres announced there was no common ground to launch official talks. He nevertheless said he was not giving up and would be working to convene another 5+1 in the near future to reach a common understanding.
- Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar: “We achieve progress with this historic step, we have opened a new page”
- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu: “The Turkish Cypriot side’s sovereign equality has gone on record”
- CTP: Attempts to condemn Turkish Cypriots to darkness should be abandoned immediately.
- Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades: “The UNSC adopted a flawless stance in the face of the Turkish Cypriot side’s proposal
- Experts evaluate Geneva summit to Yenidüzen: “The process will not end, the UNSG will try again. Turkish-EU relations will be a determining factor.
No common ground
The three-day-long five-plus-UN informal Cyprus conference in Geneva ended. Turkish Cypriot side proposed a two-state solution model in which the two states will collaborate with each other, whereas the Greek Cypriot side a bicommunal, bizonal federal (BBF) based on political equality. UN Secretary-General concluded there is no common ground to launch official negotiations.
- “We will continue to advocate for a two-state solution at every platform” – Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said.
- “The Greek Cypriot administration proposed taking Maraş (Varosha) and Eran (Tymbou) airport under UN control and Famagusta Port under EU” – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said.
- “We will continue to work with all relevant sides” – British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.
I will make another attempt
During the five-plus-UN informal Cyprus conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced due to the gap between the sides’ positions, there is no common ground to launch official negotiations however Guterres also said he is not giving up.
- Tatar is pleased with the outcome – President Ersin Tatar held a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. Tatar said: “Our proposals are being evaluated all over the world. We have made progress with this historic step; a new page is opened.”
- Anastasiades’ nightmare is the Mediterranean and Maraş (Varosha) – Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades held a press conference in Geneva following the conclusion of the 5+UN meeting.
- “The system of guarantees could be changed” – UN Security Council’s permanent member Russia made a proposal on the solution of the Cyprus problem that will be debated for long.
- “Abandon approaches that will condemn the Turkish Cypriots to darkness” – Republican Turkish Party (CTP) criticized the outcome of the 5+UN meeting with no common basis and warned President Ersin Tatar.
He’s not giving up
While the Geneva summit ended without a result, the UNSG Antonio Guterres said his hope was not exhausted and would be convening another meeting in two or three months. Guterres who ended the conference following the submission of a six-point proposal by the Turkish Cypriot side, said he did not lose hope. The statement is believed to be made following an expectation that the two sides might change their positions. The TRNC opposition is unhappy. The leader of the main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) Tufan Erhürman and the Peoples’ Party (HP) Gülşah Saner Manavoğlu said they were not informed of the proposal tabled at the meeting. Speaking to Diyalog, Erhürman said, “No one consulted us before or after the Geneva summit.”
- We need to breathe – HP leader Kudret Özersay issues such as natural gas, the crossing points and opening of ports which would allow Turkish Cypriots to breathe, should have been discussed.
Go back home
The Geneva process collapsed…The sides returned home. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “Even though there is not enough common ground for negotiations, I am not giving up.” He said another (5+1) meeting is being planned to be held two-three months later, adding that he will do his best towards that meeting.
- The guarantees system must be changed – Russia: Guarantors have become part of the problem.
Main News
New 5+1 to be planned as Geneva talks end with no common ground
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
After an intense three days in Geneva, the UN said on Thursday there was not enough common ground for Cyprus negotiations to re-start but they would try again soon, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
Speaking at the end of the last session Thursday morning, and after referring to the divergent positions of the two sides, Guterres said: “This was not an easy meeting.”
The UNSG, nonetheless added that the parties have agreed to reconvene the 5+1 in the near future again with the objective of reaching a common ground to allow for formal negotiations to start. He added that there was an understanding that probably two to three months is the kind of time frame that should be used for the next meeting.
In a separate press conference following the UNSG’s remarks, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu both said they would not back down from their position on a two-state solution on the island.
“It will have no meaning to sit around the table, begin formal talks unless equal status based on equality is recognized,” Tatar stressed, adding that Turkish Cypriots have their state and will not accept minority status in a Greek Cypriot ruled federation.
He said before starting formal negotiations on a settlement, equal international status and sovereign equality of the two sides must be recognized. Tatar said he would not go to talks without the TRNC’s sovereign equality being recognised.
He also criticized the Greek Cypriot proposal to open the Ercan (Tymbou) airport and the Famagusta port to international traffic under UN supervision saying, that it is an insult to Turkish Cypriots.
Praising the efforts of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoğlu and his delegation, Tatar said they tried to represent the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots in the best way and took a historic step during the meeting in Geneva.
“Our presentation and new ideas had widespread media coverage in the world,” he said, adding world public opinion saw the difficulties, injustice and victimization of the Turkish Cypriots under the embargo. Tatar also said he was going back home “with peace of mind.”
For his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that the Greek Cypriot side did not offer a new proposal during the talks. He added that Ankara will continue to support a two-state solution based on sovereign equality and it will not compromise on the independence, sovereignty and equality of the Turkish Cypriots.
Çavuşoğlu also said the root cause of the Cyprus problem was the Greek Cypriot side’s claim to be the sole legitimate government for the whole island, a claim he called unjustified. He added that the Greek side was seeking to pick up from where they left off in the failed Crans-Montana talks in 2017 as if nothing happened.
“I think he forgot or is trying to make us forget that he was the one who overturned the table in Crans-Montana, but we brought it up again,” said the Turkish foreign minister. Çavuşoğlu also decried Anastasiades’ attempts to change the agenda at the 2017 talks and introduce irrelevant issues.
He also said the hydrocarbon issue and the issue of revenue sharing are important issues that recently caused tension in the Eastern Mediterranean, yet the Greek side clearly showed that they do not want to share hydrocarbon revenues with the Turkish Cypriot side.
Explaining how during the meeting Greece pushed for the failed federation option, Çavuşoğlu said as expected Greece hid behind UNSC resolutions that envisioned a federation and advocated renegotiating the model, which has not yielded results for 50 years.
Echoing a similar message, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay Thursday said, “Ankara will maintain its support for a two-state solution in Cyprus based on the sovereign equality of the Turkish and Greek sides on the island in all areas.”
He tweeted that the two-state solution will mean peace and stability on the island and in the entire region “against exhausted efforts and unilateral approaches,” implying the bizonal, bicommunal federal model (BBF) and the Greek Cypriot side’s hydrocarbon activities.
In a separate tweet on Thursday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab welcomed the effort and commitment by all sides relevant to Cyprus to meet again in the near future. Raab said the UK will continue to work with all parties to seek a fair and lasting settlement.”
The focal point of Wednesday’s talks was Tatar’s submission to Guterres of a two-page document outlining the Turkish Cypriot vision for a peace accord based on a two-state model rather than a federation.
Tatar’s document, released to media, called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to pass a resolution recognizing the north as a sovereign state, equal in status to the internationally recognized government in the Greek Cypriot south.
The document said a peace deal would then be worked out between “two independent states” under UN auspices. Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy on Thursday suggested reforming the guarantees mechanism needed.
Touching upon the Cyprus Problem during a press briefing, Polyanskiy said it is because the guarantor powers at times become part of the problem and not the solution. “This is our view, our evaluation and we are not hiding it but at the end of the day the Cypriot sides will decide on what they want,” Polyanskiy said.
He reaffirmed that Russia’s position on the Cyprus problem has not changed, noting that Moscow supports a BBF solution in line with the UNSC resolutions.
KEY ACTORS
Tatar
>> No meaning to sit around the table, begin formal talks unless equal status based on equality is recognized.
>> TCs will not accept minority status in a GC ruled federation.
>> Equal international status & sovereign equality of the two sides must be recognized for formal talks to start.
>> GC proposal to open Ercan (Tymbou) airport & Famagusta port to international traffic under UN supervision an insult to TCs.
Çavuşoğlu (Turkey)
>> Ankara will continue to support a two-state solution based on sovereign equality & will not compromise on the independence, sovereignty & equality of TCs.
>> Root cause of the Cyprob is the GC side’s unjustified claim to be the sole legitimate government for the whole island.
Oktay (Turkey)
>> Ankara to maintain its support for a two-state solution in Cyprus based on the sovereign equality of the TC side & GC side in all areas.
>> A two-state solution will mean peace & stability on the island & in the entire region.
Raab (UK)
>> Effort & commitment by all sides relevant to Cyprus to meet again in the near future welcoming.
>> UK will continue to work with all parties to seek a fair & lasting settlement.
Polyanskiy (Russia)
>> A reform to the guarantees mechanism is needed.
>> Guarantor powers at times become part of the problem & not the solution.
>> Moscow continues to support a BBF solution in line with the UNSC resolutions.
Opposition holds Tatar responsible for failure to find common ground
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Havadis, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
The opposition in the north on Thursday quickly pointed the finger of blame at Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar for the failure to reach a “common ground” at the Geneva summit.
The main opposition Republican Turkish Party (CTP) in a statement on Thursday argued that the six-point proposal submitted by Tatar within the scope of the conference has in effect dealt a crippling blow to any prospects of making headway in efforts to reach common ground to launch formal talks.
“The Turkish Cypriot leadership’s proposal was not in line with the mandate given to the UN Secretary-General by the UN Security Council (UNSC),” the CTP said, adding that if Tatar insists on not revising his proposals to comply with the UN framework for the talks, the Turkish Cypriot side will eventually be accused of being the side that does not want the continuation of the results-oriented settlement talks.
The CTP noted that Tatar has two to three months until the next 5+1 meeting to revise his proposals.
“Tatar with his proposals has condemned the Turkish Cypriots to the status quo, making it impossible for the community to break the isolations imposed,” the statement read, adding that the CTP rejected the shift in the Turkish Cypriot leadership’s positions. The CTP concluded by urging Tatar to abandon his positions and revise his policies.
In a separate evaluation of the summit on TV2020, the CTP leader Tufan Erhürman said the informal meeting was full of disappointments. “The position we adopted in Geneva was ‘the best solution is the non-solution. We have told the world we are happy with the status quo,” Erhürman said.
He added that everyone understood that progress could not be achieved when the Turkish Cypriot side set the recognition of the two sides’ equal international status as a precondition before negotiations could resume.
Another CTP MP Sıla Usar İncirli also slammed Tatar for the failure of the Geneva process. Addressing Thursday’s parliamentary plenary, İncirli argued the Turkish Cypriots’ struggle for existence received serious harm over the past three days.
“Tatar is a president who does not know what he is doing and is a threat to his own community’s well-being,” İncirli stressed, adding that the proposal he submitted in Geneva was illogical. Other CTP MPs expressed their disappointment as well expressing similar views.
Also evaluating Tatar’s proposal, the leader of the People’s Party (HP) and former negotiator Kudret Özersay said Tatar needs to revise his preconditions if he truly intends to negotiate the model proposed.
Speaking on a web TV programme, Özersay pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot side’s precondition for the recognition of the north’s sovereign equality removed the possibility of the Turkish Cypriot side tabling a new proposal that was different from a federation.
“The critical question was that did we expect the UNSC to adopt such a decision? I would be most happy if the north was to be recognized but diplomacy only works when it is based on realistic and attainable goals,” Özersay said.
Highlighting that five out of the six points in the Turkish Cypriot side’s proposal is about collaboration between the two sides, which is something the HP had been advocating for, Özersay said the Turkish Cypriot side’s proposal was not for a ‘two-state solution’ but more like the collaboration of the two sides.
“When we look at the proposal put forward, there is a reference to negotiating EU, territorial adjustment and security chapters and if the sides agree, there will also be a referendum,” he said, adding that this is a collaboration model because the first point in the proposal contradicts with the others.
Özersay said the outcome of the conference should not be perceived as a failure as the dialogue will continue, and eventually, the UNSG will call for another 5+1 meeting.
National Unity Party (UBP) MP Hasan Taçoy on the other hand said he expected the Greek Cypriot side to make reciprocal moves within the coming two to three months. Speaking on Bayrak, Taçoy argued that the Greek Cypriot side “did what they do best,” and added that they have taken the Turkish Cypriot side’s six-point proposal and will launch their lobbying efforts against it.
The newly elected General Secretary of the UBP and a member of Tatar’s negotiation team Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu said “We expected our Greek Cypriot neighbours to accept our demand for sovereignty.”
Speaking on a web TV programme, Hasipoğlu added the Turkish Cypriots are as sovereign as the Greek Cypriots on the island, noting that the Turkish Cypriot side will not give up on its demands for its sovereignty to be recognized. He noted the Turkish Cypriot side will return to the next five-plus-one in two or three months with the same demands.
KEY ACTORS
Erhürman (CTP)
>> Six-point proposal submitted by Tatar ended prospects of reaching a common ground to launch formal talks.
>>TC side’s proposal not in line with UNSG’s mandate or UN resolutions.
>>TC will be accused of not wanting talks if Tatar insists on a position outside the UN framework.
>>Tatar should revise his proposals.
>>Tatar’s proposal condemns TCs to the status quo.
Özersay (HP)
>> Tatar needs to revise his preconditions if he truly intends to negotiate the model proposed.
>>TC side’s precondition for the recognition of the north’s sovereign equality removed the possibility of tabling a new proposal that was different from a federation.
>> Diplomacy only works when it is based on realistic and attainable goals.
>> TC side’s proposal is not for a ‘two-state solution’ but more like the collaboration of the two sides.
>> Outcome of the conference should not be perceived as a failure as the dialogue will continue.
More missing persons exhumed in April
Havadis
Human Rights
OVERVIEW
In April the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) has exhumed additional human remains at an excavation site in Bellapais in the north, bringing the total number of persons recovered at this location to three. In a press release, the CMP said that so far this year they have exhumed the remains of six persons across the island. Excavations continue throughout Cyprus at seven sites.
“Since January 2021, CMP has identified 12 missing persons despite losing 41 working days due to Covid-19 related movement restrictions in January and February. Work at the Committee’s Anthropological Laboratory resumed at the beginning of March 2021,” the statement read.
The CMP said that it was also informed on Thursday that Covid-19 related access restrictions, which had been in place for one year, were lifted at 10 military sites in the north. The committee is making preparations to conduct excavations at these locations shortly.
The organisation reminded the public that anyone with information about a missing person can submit it anonymously by calling 151 from the areas in the south, or 181 if dialling from the north.