Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reportedly told Turkish Cypriot political leaders during a briefing on Monday evening that there was no common ground. According to Mine Atlı, the secretary of international relations for the Communal Democracy Party (TDP), the Turkish side’s plan appeared to focus on discussing cooperation in areas such as energy or communications.
According to Turkish Cypriot media, Atlı, who was present at the briefing, later told the Cyprus Mail that she found Fidan’s approach interesting. She said that, in his view, since the Greek Cypriot side would eventually have to align with Turkish policy and given the rejection of federation, alternative models should be discussed.
Atlı also noted that technical issues, which were previously handled by bicommunal committees, were now being elevated to the leadership level. However, she stated that she had not observed any leadership from the Turkish Cypriot side during the briefing.
She further commented that the process had shifted from a comprehensive solution where every detail was discussed to mere discussions about potential cooperation, which she believed had set the situation back by 30 years under Ersin Tatar’s policy.
Expressing concern, Atlı said that while they had come to the summit to discuss the Cyprus issue, it was not being addressed, and her main worry at that moment was to prevent irreversible damage to the rest of the summit.
The briefing of Turkish Cypriot politicians, in the presence of the Turkish Foreign Minister, was also referenced by the General Secretary of the National Unity Party (UBP), Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu, in a social media post. He stated that he hoped the multilateral meeting that day, with all parties present, would take steps towards establishing mutual trust between the two states and benefiting both communities on the island. He also expressed the expectation that, with this understanding, a new negotiation process for Cyprus could begin.
Three Turkish Cypriot newspapers – Kıbrıs, Vatan, and Volkan – ran the headline “Cooperation is a prerequisite” on Tuesday. Dialog reported that there was a need for a solution, while Kıbrıs Postası described the purpose of the meeting as cooperation. Star Kıbrıs called for leaving the past behind and looking to the future.
Yeni Düzen, with the headline “The table in Geneva”, focused on the private meeting between the Turkish Foreign Minister and the President of the Republic after the dinner. The newspaper reported that following this, the President briefed the National Council, while Fidan attended the briefing of Turkish Cypriot political leaders.
Also read: Informal meeting on Cyprus: Fidan briefly met with Christodoulides
Source: CNA
