Newsroom
Sometimes solidarity means showing up. This time, it meant walking out.
Nicosia Mayor Charalambos Prountzos has withdrawn from the upcoming Cyprus Forum in support of Mehmet Harmanci, the elected head of the Turkish Cypriot municipality in northern Nicosia, after organizers changed the title used to describe Harmanci in the event program.
The two men had been due to present the Forum’s Peace and Democracy Awards together. Instead, they will now both be absent, with Prountzos following Harmanci out in what organizers described as a gesture of solidarity.
The dispute began when Harmanci was initially listed as “Mayor of Nicosia Turkish Municipality.” After objections were raised over the designation, it was changed to “leader of the Turkish Cypriot community of Nicosia.”
ELAM had publicly opposed Harmanci’s participation and demanded that his invitation be withdrawn, describing him as the “pseudo-mayor” of occupied Nicosia.
The Cyprus Forum rejected that demand and said Harmanci’s invitation was never in question. However, it acknowledged changing his title after the original wording was deemed unacceptable on the Greek Cypriot side.
Forum Executive President Nicolas Kyriakides subsequently said the request not to describe Harmanci as mayor had come from officials of the Republic of Cyprus.
That leaves an important unanswered question: Who were those officials, and why did they intervene?
For Harmanci, the argument was not simply about what appeared beneath his name.
He said he had previously attended events in the government-controlled areas under descriptions such as “leader” or “representative” of Nicosia’s Turkish Cypriot community. What he objected to, he said, was the way the change occurred following ELAM’s intervention.
Harmanci described the episode as an example of political intimidation undermining efforts to promote mutual respect and cooperation. He then withdrew from the event.
Prountzos followed.
Harmanci later thanked his Nicosia counterpart, saying it was Prountzos’ decision, not his own, that deserved attention. He praised him for demonstrating courage, empathy, and a commitment to peace.
Their withdrawal has since been followed by that of several other prospective participants, including Turkish Cypriot politicians and representatives of bicommunal organizations.
The Cyprus Forum maintains that it did not bow to ELAM. It said it refused to cancel Harmanci’s invitation and changed only the title, using wording that had previously appeared during meetings involving the two men.
But the damage was already done.
For ordinary Nicosia residents, this is not merely an argument over protocol. Their city remains divided, yet its people share the same traffic, environmental pressures, commercial center, and increasingly urgent need for practical cooperation.
Prountzos and Harmanci have appeared together before to support projects bringing the two communities closer. Their planned appearance at the Forum was supposed to send that same message.
Instead, their empty seats may now deliver an even stronger one: Dialogue cannot be celebrated on stage if it is allowed to unravel behind the scenes.
