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Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman says he is ready to discuss all issues in the Cyprus talks but wants to start with a practical question for people on both sides of the island’s divide: where to open new crossings.
Speaking Tuesday on an online program hosted by Ozgur, Erhurman said the two sides should first work through the options already mapped out by the United Nations before proposing new sites. He spoke ahead of a noon meeting Wednesday with María Ángela Holguín, the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy for Cyprus.
Erhurman named Louroutzina, Pyroi, Aglantzia and Mia Milia in discussing the UN maps and also referred to Athienou when describing the markings on them. He said crossings at Mia Milia and Athienou would serve both communities, while other options could make it easier for Greek Cypriots traveling from Larnaca to Nicosia.
“Why should I oppose something that would make life easier for Greek Cypriots?” he said.
Erhurman said he might have favored Kaimakli or the Famagusta Gate had he been in his predecessor Ersin Tatar’s place when Mia Milia was picked as a proposed vehicle crossing during his time in New York. His priority now, he said, is to work with what is already on the table. Once that is settled, he said, the more crossings the two sides can open, the more opportunities people will have to meet.
Beyond the crossings, Erhurman pointed to two items among the UN secretary-general’s seven proposals: citizenship for children of mixed marriages and joint sports activities, such as football matches for children under 15. He said citizenship was a human rights issue and should be treated as such.
He also said some of the 19 proposals President Nikos Christodoulides presented verbally, including visits to technical committees and to Pyla, had already been carried out. Others concern long-running disputes over Varosha and the port of Famagusta. Erhurman said his own suggestion that the two leaders meet informally before formal negotiations was turned down by the Greek Cypriot side.
Erhurman said he was consulting closely with Ankara and credited Holguín’s approach with making talks with Christodoulides easier. He said he wants negotiations that lead to a settlement.
