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Mehmet Dana, undersecretary to Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, stated on Friday that a rotating presidency between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities is an essential element of political equality in a post-solution Cyprus. Dana described political equality as the foundation of a structure requiring the joint exercise of specific powers and shared competences, asserting that this principle is not open to negotiation.
Dana attributed the collapse of previous negotiations, specifically the 2017 talks at Crans-Montana between Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, to the fact that political equality was treated as a subject of negotiation. He argued that for future talks to succeed, the principle of a rotating presidency must be accepted before negotiations formally commence, with specific details such as tenure duration to be determined later.
The position has met with resistance from the Greek Cypriot side. Deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou told CyBC radio that the Turkish Cypriot side equates political equality with sovereign equality, a stance he said the Greek Cypriot side cannot accept. Antoniou maintained that the structure of a post-solution presidency should be the result of negotiations rather than a precondition.
Disagreements also persist regarding a four-point methodology proposed by Erhurman, particularly a provision that would require United Nations guarantees to lift embargoes on Turkish Cypriots should the Greek Cypriot side withdraw from negotiations. Antoniou criticized this proposal, arguing that pre-defined consequences could discourage genuine negotiation and incentivize parties to provoke the other into leaving the table.
Dana defended the proposal as a necessary safeguard, citing the outcomes of the 2004 Annan plan referendum and the 2017 Crans-Montana talks. He argued that the Turkish Cypriot side has historically suffered due to the Greek Cypriot side’s reliance on international recognition, which he claimed has allowed for an intransigent approach. He stated that the proposed methodology incorporates lessons from past failures to ensure a successful outcome for future discussions.
The diplomatic focus is expected to shift to New York next week during the United Nations high-level week. President Nikos Christodoulides is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday. Tufan Erhurman is also scheduled to travel to New York on Wednesday to hold meetings with the Secretary-General.
Article source: cyprus-mail.com | Image credit: cyprus-mail.com
