No Progress in Cyprus Talks, Only Political Posturing, Says Toros

Emphasizing the Turkish Cypriots' firm will for equal international representation of Cyprus, Toros said the meeting scheduled for July should pave the way for the continuation of formal negotiations.

The informal talks on the Cyprus issue were held in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 17-18 at the invitation of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Following the discussions, Guterres announced that a new meeting would be held at the end of July and that Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar had agreed on certain initiatives.

Toros, who observed the meetings in Geneva, shared his assessment of the outcome in an interview with Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper.

"IF THERE WAS A GENUINE INTENTION TO ADVANCE THE RESOLUTION PROCESS, THE MEETING WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN LIMITED TO FIVE HOURS"

Toros argued that the structure of the informal talks should have been designed to overcome the deadlock that has persisted in negotiations for eight years and to resume solution talks with a scheduled, result-oriented methodology. Instead, he said, the meetings were shaped by the political posturing needed by the Cypriot leaders for their respective communities.

“If there was a genuine intention to advance the resolution process, the meeting would not have been limited to approximately five hours. It is not surprising that no substantial discussions on the core of the Cyprus issue took place during the 5+1 meeting,” Toros said.

"LEADERS' FAILURE TO TAKE RESULT-ORIENTED STEPS IN SOLUTION NEGOTIATIONS IS CONCERNING"

Toros noted that the outcome of the talks was limited to maintaining dialogue between the leaders, implementing certain Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) that had largely been discussed previously, and appointing a personal envoy to prepare for the next meeting. He reiterated that CTP has always been a staunch advocate of CBMs.

“As part of the comprehensive settlement process, we continue to support CBMs that are discussed and implemented within this framework. In this regard, the agreement on certain CBMs in Geneva is indeed positive. However, the leaders’ failure to take any steps toward completing solution negotiations in a result-oriented manner with a sense of urgency is particularly concerning for Turkish Cypriots. Through this ‘dialogue’ process initiated by the Secretary-General, Cypriot leaders have attempted to restore their credibility by projecting a message of ‘progress’ within a diplomatic showcase,” he said.

"CYPRUS BEING REPRESENTED INTERNATIONALLY ONLY BY THE GREEK CYPRIOTS IS UNJUST AND UNACCEPTABLE"

Stressing that Turkish Cypriots remain committed to a comprehensive solution and integration with the international community and the rule of law, Toros stated:

"In our common homeland of Cyprus, political equality, including a rotating presidency and effective participation in all decisions with at least one positive vote, cannot be further delayed. This is a constitutional right. The fact that Cyprus is represented in the international arena solely by the Greek Cypriots is unjust and unacceptable.

With this reality in mind, the upcoming meeting at the end of July must be structured in a way that ensures the continuation of formal negotiations and leads to a political settlement. To achieve this, I hope that the personal envoy to be appointed will take into account the four-point methodology proposed by CTP during the preparatory phase. We will certainly work intensively with the appointed personal envoy toward this goal,” he concluded.