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Who gets to be president of a reunited Cyprus, and when would that change? The question is back in the spotlight after Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman reportedly said President Nikos Christodoulides had accepted a rotating presidency.
Christodoulides responded Thursday by saying the Greek Cypriot side’s positions were “clear,” while pointing to what he described as conflicting statements by Erhurman.
The exchange concerns how power would be shared if a Cyprus settlement were reached. A rotating presidency would mean Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots taking turns in the presidency under an agreed system. The length of those terms, how leaders would be elected, and what powers they would hold would depend on the settlement’s provisions.
For voters, that makes it a question about who would lead their shared state and how both communities would have a say in its government.
A claim of acceptance, but no explicit confirmation
According to the account put to Christodoulides, Erhurman said U.N. Secretary-General’s personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin had informed him that the president accepted a rotating presidency.
Asked about the claim while attending an Olympiada Neapolis Association event in Nicosia, Christodoulides did not explicitly confirm or deny acceptance in the remarks released by the Presidency.
“Our positions are clear regarding the rotating presidency,” he said.
Instead, he contrasted Erhurman’s reported account with an earlier interview in the Greek Cypriot press, in which, according to Christodoulides, the Turkish Cypriot leader had said the Greek Cypriot side’s refusal to accept a rotating presidency was preventing talks from resuming.
“I think you should address Mr. Erhurman,” the president added.
His response leaves the reported claim of acceptance unconfirmed by the remarks themselves.
“Everything will be proven in practice”
Christodoulides also addressed the meeting in Brussels between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
He said Kallas had briefed the government on everything discussed but cautioned against reading too much into the messages conveyed.
“Some messages were conveyed that we have heard before. I want to be completely honest with you: Everything will be proven in practice,” he said.
The president described Holguin’s mission as important, particularly given the time available ahead of the U.N. secretary-general’s involvement, and expressed hope that it would help bring about a resumption of negotiations.
“But we have to see it in practice, and at the end of the day we will all be judged by our actions, including, of course, me,” he said.
