Turkish Cypriot leader Erhürman rejects Varosha proposal — Cyprus Mail

In Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman confirmed that he rejected a proposal by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to place the fenced-off district of Varosha under UN administration, open and resettle it, and open the port of Famagusta under European Union control. He said this on a televised political show, Cyprus Mail reports.

Port and direct trade

Erhürman said that, in his view, the port of Famagusta is already open. He said the problem is that direct trade with the European Union cannot be conducted through the ports.

Asked whether placing the port under EU control would mean implementing the EU direct trade regulation, he answered in the negative. At the same time, Erhürman said direct trade would begin through EU control of the port. The direct trade regulation, drafted in 2004 after Greek Cypriots rejected the Annan Plan in a referendum, has still not entered into force.

The proposal was called unbalanced

The Turkish Cypriot leader considers the proposed formula unbalanced. He noted that a similar option had already been proposed in 2006, when Mehmet Ali Talat was the Turkish Cypriot leader, and therefore he cannot regard it as new.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Erhürman also said that he had not received a document containing 19 points for discussion, which Christodoulides had mentioned. According to him, during bilateral meetings, the Cypriot president voiced only individual proposals, which he wrote down. Erhürman declined to disclose their content, citing diplomatic protocol.

Conditions for negotiations

Erhürman denied claims that he is avoiding negotiations. He said he is ready for a productive process only after the sides agree on a methodology and make progress on confidence-building measures. According to him, he will not hold an expanded five-plus-one meeting merely for the sake of holding a meeting.

This format provides for the participation of the two sides in Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the UN. Erhürman added that he will sit down at the negotiating table when he considers the sides to be very close to resolving the Cyprus issue.