Mixed reactions to the European Commission’s decision to appoint Johannes Hahn as its special envoy for the Cyprus problem have continued, with the United Nations “looking forward” to working with him, and the north’s ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu swiftly ruling out the prospect of meeting him.

“I will leave most comments to the EU, but we say that we look forward to working with Mr Hahn,” UN spokesman Farhan Haq said at a press briefing.

Ertugruloglu’s comments were less brief. He told the north’s Tak news agency that Hahn’s appointment was a “provocative step”, and said that in appointing him, the EU had “once again revealed its biased stance on the Cyprus issue”.

“Considering that even UN Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres] has not appointed a special envoy and that there is not even an ongoing negotiation process between the two sides, it is out of the question for us to recognise the appointment of such a representative, see it as legitimate, or accept his involvement in the current dialogue process,” he said.

He added that since allowing the Republic of Cyprus to join the bloc without first solving the Cyprus problem in 2004, the EU has “consistently ignored the will, the rights, and the interests of the Turkish Cypriot people”.

“This manoeuvre, aimed at putting pressure on the Turkish Cypriot side and creating a fait accompli, will not only yield no results, but also harms the diplomatic efforts carried out within the UN,” he said.

“For the EU to demonstrate its credibility and sincerity in contributing to the process regarding the Cyprus issue, it must first lift the political, economic, and cultural embargoes placed on the Turkish Cypriot people.”

He added, “if it refuses to recognise our sovereign equality and continues to disregard the will of our people, all steps taken by the EU will be deemed null and void by us”.

Hahn’s appointment in Cyprus was announced on Wednesday afternoon, with the European Commission explaining that he will “report to President [Ursula] von der Leyen and contribute to the settlement process within the UN framework in close cooperation with the UN secretary-general [Antonio Guterres’] personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin”.

“This designation underlines the commission’s commitment to the reunification of Cyprus, with the aim of ensuring a functional and viable comprehensive settlement in accordance with the relevant UN security council resolutions and in line with the principles, values, and legislation of the EU,” it added.

Greece and Turkey were also divided over Hahn’s appointment, with Greece saying it “welcomes” the move, adding that it “reaffirms the European Union’s unwavering support for United Nations-led efforts for a just, viable, and functional solution in accordance with the relevant UN security council resolutions and the EU acquis communautaire”.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign ministry’s spokesman Oncu Keceli said he considers Hahn’s appointment to be “an internal matter of the EU”.

“In fact, the EU lost its neutrality in the context of the Cyprus issue by accepting the Greek Cypriot side as an EU member despite their rejection of [the Annan plan] in 2004,” he said.

“The biased approach of the EU, which has been exclusively defending the attitudes and claims of the Greek Cypriot side regarding the Cyprus issue, has been further strengthened,” he added.

“On the other hand, we expect [Hahn] to urge the Greek Cypriot side to accept the realities on the island of Cyprus and, in this way, to help the Greek Cypriots understand that any new negotiation process which may be initiated in the future will no longer be conducted between two communities, but between two states with sovereign equality.”