Erhürman: No 5+1 Meeting “Just for the Sake of It” at Present

Erhürman said two important points made by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his statement yesterday needed to be underlined. The first, he said, was Guterres’ assessment that “there is still a lot of work to be done.”

“IT SHOULD BE A RESULTS-ORIENTED 5+1”

Erhürman said their position on meetings in the 5+1 format had been clear from the outset.

“We have been saying from the beginning that we did not want a 5+1 meeting simply for the sake of having one. If there is going to be a 5+1, it needs to be results-oriented,” he said.

Erhürman said they had stressed that certain results needed to be achieved in Nicosia since the election period in order for a 5+1 meeting to be productive.

“There is no 5+1 just for the sake of it,” he said.

“PAST MISTAKES MUST NOT BE REPEATED”

Erhürman said the second important point in Guterres’ statement was his reference to the need not to repeat past mistakes.

He said he had reservations about how accurate it was to refer to “past mistakes,” but noted that the phrase had been used by Guterres himself.

“We were saying that if no result came out of these processes, then something different needs to be done this time. The Secretary-General also said mistakes would not be repeated,” Erhürman said.

“NO 5+1 NEGOTIATION JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT”

Erhürman said that, when Guterres’ statement was considered in its entirety, there was currently no 5+1 negotiation being planned simply for the sake of holding one.

He said the UN Secretary-General had also clearly set out what his concerns were.

Describing today’s meeting as “relatively better” than the previous one, Erhürman noted that “there was no statement after the previous meeting.”

“CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES ARE ESSENTIAL”

Erhürman said confidence-building measures had been on their agenda for a long time and that Guterres had also highlighted their importance in previous statements.

He said both Guterres and the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for Cyprus, María Ángela Holguin, considered confidence-building measures essential and that they were important for a 5+1 meeting to take place.

Erhürman said CBMs meant creating new initiatives and building trust through them, but stressed that steps that could undermine existing trust should also be avoided.

“STEPS THAT UNDERMINE EXISTING TRUST MUST BE AVOIDED”

Erhürman cited attempts to cancel two festivals, efforts to cancel the Barcelona Football School, and what he described as negative initiatives concerning meetings held by Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu with ambassadors.

He said they regarded such initiatives as actions that undermined existing trust rather than strengthening it, adding that they had raised these issues with the relevant parties, as well as with the European Union and the UN.

“We continue to wait for a response,” Erhürman said.

“WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY AT THE POINT OF A NEW 5+1”

Erhürman said they were not currently at the point of holding a new 5+1 meeting, but stressed that efforts were continuing.

“To speak openly and sincerely, the Secretary-General said we are continuing our efforts without reducing them, but as of now, we are not at a point where there will be a new 5+1,” he said.

Erhürman said they naturally wanted a 5+1 meeting to take place, but believed the necessary preparations needed to be made in Nicosia for it to produce meaningful results.

“WE ARE READY TO TAKE THE SEVEN ISSUES TO A FURTHER LEVEL”

Referring to the seven issues raised by the UN Secretary-General as part of the confidence-building measures, Erhürman said they covered crossing points, mine clearance, establishing a joint mechanism for disasters, creating a joint mechanism on irregular migration, sports, EU citizenship for children born of mixed marriages, and the structure established on civil society.

“We already agreed on six of these seven issues during our meeting with the Secretary-General. There is no agreement yet on one, namely new crossing points. Therefore, we are ready to take all seven issues to a further level. We have already agreed on six,” Erhürman said.

Erhürman also stressed that the issue of EU citizenship for children born of mixed marriages was not merely a confidence-building measure for them, but also a human rights issue.