Ertuğruloğlu: Unrealistic Expectations Led to Public Disappointment

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said the outcome of UN Secretary-General António Guterres' recent visit to Cyprus had been inevitable, arguing that expectations created ahead of the trip resulted only in disappointment for the Turkish Cypriot public.

Speaking on Sabah Postası on Kıbrıs Postası TV, Ertuğruloğlu said the UN's long-standing assessment that there is no common ground between the two sides remained unchanged and reiterated his support for a two-state solution based on sovereign equality and equal international status.

He argued that the Greek Cypriot side would have no incentive to share power as long as it continued to enjoy its current international status, adding that any new informal 5+1 meeting would be meaningless without a shared basis for negotiations.

Advised Against the Visit

Ertuğruloğlu said he had previously told a member of Guterres' team that the Secretary-General should reconsider visiting the island.

According to Ertuğruloğlu, he warned that Guterres had already experienced disappointment at Crans-Montana and that another visit without common ground would produce the same result.

"The UN's conclusion that there is no common ground still stands," he said.

'No Common Ground'

Ertuğruloğlu argued that common ground cannot exist unless both sides agree on the nature of the Cyprus problem.

"We have reached a point where what one side defines as the problem is seen by the other as the solution," he said.

Criticism of Holguín

The foreign minister also questioned the role of the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Cyprus, María Angela Holguín, suggesting she had created the impression that progress was being made despite the absence of any real change.

He said optimism expressed by Holguín and others had raised unrealistic expectations among Turkish Cypriots.

Remarks on Erhürman

Ertuğruloğlu said criticism of President Tufan Erhürman had been misrepresented as a personal dispute, insisting that he respected Erhürman personally while disagreeing fundamentally with his approach to the Cyprus issue.

He said the government continued to advocate sovereign equality and a two-state solution, while Erhürman did not share that position.

'Nothing Came Out of the Visit'

Ertuğruloğlu argued that international officials continue to treat the Greek Cypriot administration as the sole internationally recognised authority on the island, pointing out that Guterres arrived via Larnaca rather than Ercan Airport.

He said this demonstrated the lack of equality between the two sides.

"People created a perception based on imaginary grounds driven by their own political agendas, and the Turkish Cypriot people were led to expect results," he said. "The outcome was disappointment."

He maintained that Guterres' visit produced no tangible results and said that had been foreseeable from the outset.

Questions Over Another 5+1 Meeting

Ertuğruloğlu also questioned the purpose of any future expanded 5+1 meeting, arguing that both sides continued to hold the same positions as before.

"As long as there is no common ground, what exactly would such a meeting be intended to achieve?" he asked.