Akansoy: Guterres Aims For Strategic Cyprus Deal Before End Of Term

Speaking on Kıbrıs Postası TV’s-Agenda programme hosted by Ulaş Barış, Akansoy said the UN is working on a three-stage roadmap involving regular meetings, a strategic agreement, and a final referendum.

He criticised Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent statements, saying he was not satisfied with them, and argued that terms such as “sovereign equality” and “equal international status” do not align with the current UN process.

Akansoy said the election of Tufan Erhürman had strengthened the UN’s position and that the Greek Cypriot side was aligning with a 5+1 framework following the end of the EU Council presidency period.

He claimed the UN is preparing a phased process in which parties will meet regularly, followed by a strategic agreement, and then a referendum in about 1–2 years.

According to Akansoy, the interim phase could include steps such as direct flights to Ercan, direct trade arrangements, partial Turkish troop withdrawal, opening of Turkish ports to the Republic of Cyprus, and new openings in Turkey–EU relations.

He said these steps overlap with Erhürman’s four-point methodology and stressed the importance of guarantor countries’ support.

Akansoy also claimed that Guterres wants to complete the strategic agreement before the end of his mandate, while noting that success or failure of the process remains uncertain and depends on political will.

He added that more realistic attitudes are emerging on the Greek Cypriot side, pointing to recent statements by President Nikos Christodoulides and ongoing financial cooperation between the European Investment Bank and Turkey.