Erhürman says he is sticking to his approach on Cyprus talks

Speaking to Aytuğ Türkkan on Kanal T, Erhürman also said the Presidency would remain neutral and independent throughout the election period.

“We are following the same path we set out a year ago,” he said, adding that he was conducting the Cyprus process in full consultation with Türkiye.

Erhürman said political equality remained the first point of his four-point framework for negotiations. He described a rotating presidency as a central element of political equality and said the requirement for at least one affirmative vote was also part of his approach. He said the framework was designed to give negotiations a chance of reaching a settlement.

Proposal to be discussed with Guterres

Erhürman said the proposal he described as a potential “game changer” involved no concessions by the Turkish Cypriot side. He declined to disclose its contents, saying it was important to “give diplomacy a chance”.

The proposal would be discussed at the planned meeting between the two leaders and Guterres, he said, adding that the UN had shown no opposition to it.

On crossing points, Erhürman said the agreement to open the Akıncılar–Limya and Kambo–Gemikonağı crossings left the proposals concerning Haspolat, Kiracıköy and Eylence on the agenda for the next trilateral meeting.

COP31 photo reflected the status quo

Erhürman said the contacts he made at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya exceeded his expectations. He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had invited him about a month before the summit, while Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides received his invitation from the summit secretariat.

“We knew we would not be in the family photo. It reflects the current status quo,” Erhürman said. He added that the Turkish Cypriot delegation would have been unable to attend had Türkiye not hosted the summit.

Erhürman said he had suggested that he and Christodoulides meet in Antalya. UN envoy María Ángela Holguín pointed out that Guterres would also be there and raised the possibility of a meeting with him. According to Erhürman, Christodoulides declined, citing a lack of time.