Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Friday met with leadership figures from six political parties to discuss the enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem which is set to take place in the Swiss city of Geneva on Monday and Tuesday.

The four parties represented in the north’s ‘parliament’, the UBP, the CTP, the DP, and the YDP attended a joint meeting, while the HP and the TDP attended separate meetings later in the day

After the meetings, Tatar told reporters that he in Geneva will demand “sovereign equality and equal international status” for Cyprus’ two sides, and said negotiations to solve the Cyprus problem “will not be started without these two principles being accepted”.

He added that the Republic of Turkey “fully supports this policy” and that the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has “defended this stance on international platforms”.

This stance was met with mixed reactions by the party leaders, with the north’s largest party the UBP’s leader and ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel standing by Tatar’s plans and emphasising the opportunity for cooperation between the island’s two sides, which Tatar had mentioned earlier in the week.

“We will put on the table ideas for how we can bring the two peoples closer, what we can do, what we can find common ground on. We will stand by our president and support him,” Ustel began.

He added that he sees the meeting “as a meeting with good intentions”.

“The energy needs of the two sides could be met at a lower cost through cooperation. Our country has an energy problem. South Cyprus also has an energy problem. South Cyprus, in particular, wants to connect itself to Europe via Israel and Greece … but we can do the same thing at a much lower cost through Turkey,” he said.

He added that he hopes to be able to “continue future talks by establishing common ground” and said the delegation will “return to the TRNC with a good result”.

However, Tufan Erhurman, the leader of the north’s largest opposition party the CTP, was less than optimistic, saying, “we will not go to Geneva with great expectations of starting a negotiation process”.

He did at the same time note that “even starting a dialogue at this level is an important step in and of itself”.

“It does not seem possible for a decision for an official negotiation process to start. Of course, we would like such a decision,” he said, adding that the meeting “will act as a bridge between the past and the future”.

“A solution, peace, and a lasting stability process in Cyprus is extremely important for lasting peace and stability in the entire region,” he said.

Ruling coalition party DP leader and ‘deputy prime minister’ Fikri Ataoglu said his party “always stands by” Tatar, and said that he hopes that after the meeting, “our expectations will gradually begin to be met”.

Fellow ruling coalition party YDP leader and ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli was less optimistic, however, saying, “we do not expect any permanent results which will affect the negotiations in Geneva”.

However, he also stressed the opportunity for cooperation between the two sides “on issues such as electricity, water, and climate change”.

“There are no political obstacles to cooperating on these issues. If we bring them to the table and talk about them, we will be one step ahead,” he said.

HP leader and former Turkish Cypriot chief negotiator Kudret Ozersay, who served under Dervish Eroglu, was also keen to emphasise the possibility of cooperation between the island’s two sides.

“Even if there is complete disagreement between the two sides regarding a solution, it is ultimately possible to cooperate on a wide range of issues on this island. By cooperating, a much more realistic dialogue and relationship can be established between the sides. The comprehensive solution can come as a continuation of this or in parallel with this,” he said.

He added that he expects a new United Nations representative in Cyprus to be appointed after the meeting.

“Because it is not easy for [UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres [to constantly engage with the Cyprus problem while many problems in the world are ongoing. He will want to appoint a representative,” he said.

Turkish Cypriot Nicosia mayor Mehmet Harmanci also met Tatar on behalf of his party the TDP, and after his meeting expressed outright opposition to Tatar’s plans.

“We told him that it would not be possible to reach a solution with his principles,” he said, referring to Tatar’s demand for “sovereign equality and equal international status” for Cyprus’ two sides.

“We said that what the Turkish Cypriots need is an agreement based on a federation, that the federal model is one of the Turkish Cypriots’ most important gains, and that every day that we move away from this ground, many situations which are against international law and human rights and freedoms emerge in north Cyprus,” he said.

The enlarged meeting on March 17 and 18 and will see both Cyprus’ sides as well as representatives of the island’s three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and the UN convene to discuss the Cyprus problem.