Newsroom
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said Wednesday that he is not required to approve unilateral measures planned by President Nikos Christodoulides aimed at benefiting Turkish Cypriots, including in the health and economic sectors. His remarks came amid heightened tensions following criticism from Turkish Cypriot officials over Christodoulides’ recent speech in the European Parliament on Cyprus’ EU Presidency.
Speaking during a site visit to the Agios Dometios roadblock, Erhürman said he had only learned of Christodoulides’ intentions through press reports and did not know the details. “I don’t know exactly what he means,” he said. “But unilateral measures do not require my approval.”
The comments come in response to statements from the president of the KEE and Turkish Cypriot “prime minister” Unal Ustel, who criticized Christodoulides for what he called a “unilateral approach” that ignores the Turkish Cypriot people. Ustel argued that Turkey’s 1974 intervention saved the Turkish Cypriot community from annihilation, a historical fact he said cannot be changed by political rhetoric.
Ustel and other officials, including the Turkish Cypriot “speaker of parliament” Ziya Ozturkler, have also warned that the Greek Cypriot side’s EU membership has upset the island’s balance and diminished incentives for a solution, reiterating their stance that a lasting settlement requires recognition of two sovereign states and two peoples with equal international status.
On economic measures, Erhürman commented on a seven-point package proposed by Christodoulides, which includes facilitating trade through the Green Line regulation. While the proposal asks that value-added tax (VAT) not be paid on products moving from the free areas to the occupied areas, Erhürman said this would be unfair to Turkish Cypriot producers.
“If we don’t collect VAT on these goods, while we collect VAT on the goods we produce, we will undercut our own producers,” he said. “The fairest approach is that just as we don’t charge VAT on products sent south, the same should apply to products sent here.”
Erhürman confirmed that he did not accept Christodoulides’ proposal, saying it would create an unequal system and disrupt the logic of the Green Line trade regulations. He added, however, that the decision does not threaten overall relations between the communities. “Our main goal is a solution,” he said. “We continue talks with the will of our people in mind.”
On infrastructure, Erhürman announced that a new vehicle crossing point at Agios Dometios is expected to ease daily travel for both communities. The work in the buffer zone is progressing, with Turkish and Greek Cypriot construction companies working on their respective sides. Turkish Cypriot construction is now complete, while work on the Greek Cypriot side is expected to finish shortly.
Erhürman also said a second vehicle crossing point is needed in Nicosia, with Mia Milia proposed as a candidate. Discussions on this second crossing point remain ongoing, and he expressed hope that Christodoulides will respond positively to the Turkish Cypriot proposals.
The remarks come amid continued efforts to improve day-to-day interactions between the communities while navigating sensitive political, economic, and historical issues that have remained unresolved since the island’s division.
