Özersay: No Real Cyprus Process Underway, 5+1 Talks May Collapse

Speaking on Kıbrıs Postası TV, Özersay said Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Christodoulides is driven by electoral calculations and needs a new negotiation process for domestic political purposes.

He asked, “Do we negotiate just for the sake of negotiations?” stressing that talks without a clear objective would be meaningless.

Özersay said the UN’s global influence is weakening and noted that the UN Secretary-General is approaching the end of his term, adding that in this broader context “there is no actual process on the table.”

Referring to the proposed 5+1 meeting, he said it would only be a gathering unless key preconditions are addressed beforehand, pointing to the four-point methodology put forward by President Tufan Erhürman and the Turkish Cypriot side’s position that talks should not proceed without accepted preconditions.

He argued that the Greek Cypriot leadership’s main aim is not a final settlement but to create a new negotiation process that could be presented as progress in the next election cycle.

Özersay also claimed that Europe’s approach is not primarily aimed at achieving a Cyprus settlement but at managing broader geopolitical priorities, including keeping Turkey engaged within an EU framework while accommodating Greek Cypriot positions.

He warned that the planned 5+1 meeting may never actually take place, noting that it could be canceled before being held, as has happened in the past.