Greek Cypriot Press: 5+1 Talks Pushed To The New Year

In its statement after the meeting between Erhürman and Christodoulides, accompanied by UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin, the United Nations argued that, although explicit reference to a solution based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation was avoided, the Turkish Cypriot side had effectively returned to the agreed framework of Security Council resolutions.

The UN statement further underlined that the relevant Security Council resolutions refer to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, adding that this marked the first joint reference to these resolutions by the two sides since 2020.

Greek Cypriot media coverage of the trilateral meeting has continued in the days following the talks.

‘What Quietly Returned To The Table’

Haravgi described the meeting as a concise political development with potentially significant implications for the future course of the Cyprus issue, stressing that what mattered was not what was said publicly, but rather “what quietly returned to the table and relates to the framework of a solution”.

Under the headline “Political Equality, The UN And Difficult Equations Define The Next Phase Of The Cyprus Issue”, the newspaper wrote that, despite the careful choice of wording in the UN joint statement and the avoidance of a direct reference to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, the Turkish Cypriot side had returned to the agreed framework of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

‘Security Council Resolutions Refer To A Bi-Zonal, Bi-Communal Federation With Political Equality’

The paper argued that Security Council resolutions do not allow for selective interpretation and clearly refer to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality. It added that political equality, in both meaning and institutional practice, could not function outside a federal or equivalent collective governance model in which the two communities participate equally in decision-making processes.

According to the report, references to political equality are not merely rhetorical, but form the core of the convergences achieved so far, including concrete elements such as rotating executive power, weighted and cross-voting, and the requirement of at least one positive vote from each community on critical issues. These provisions, the paper said, constitute an institutional framework designed to prevent domination by one side over the other.

Haravgi suggested that the stance of the Turkish Cypriot side could be interpreted as a controlled transition from a two-state and sovereign equality position towards political equality within a federal framework, noting that while this approach may raise reservations, it remains consistent with international negotiation logic.

Weekly Kathimerini, citing well-informed sources, reported that the trilateral meeting on 11 December took place in a very positive atmosphere but did not amount to a game-changer.

Expanded Talks Definitely After The New Year

According to the report, the Greek Cypriot leadership views the trilateral meeting as an important positive step in efforts to restart dialogue. Sources said that an informal expanded meeting on the Cyprus issue will definitely take place after the New Year, with the most likely timeframe being late January or early February.

‘First Time Since 2020’

The report added that the UN assessed the 11 December meeting as a “win-win” situation, highlighting that the joint statement issued afterwards marked the first time since 2020 that both sides had agreed to refer to UN Security Council resolutions.

Fileleftheros, meanwhile, ran a front-page story headlined “Hakan Fidan In Command… Holguin’s Ankara Visit Critical For Answers”, claiming that UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin would receive key answers regarding next steps on the Cyprus issue — including the holding of an informal expanded meeting and the possible resumption of negotiations — during her visit to Ankara.

The newspaper further claimed that, on the orders of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, responsibility for the Cyprus issue rests with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, alleging that President Erhürman referred issues raised during last Thursday’s trilateral meeting to Fidan.