Erhurman hails Fidan’s ‘important’ words on Cyprus problem

Turkish Cypriot opposition election candidate Tufan Erhurman on Thursday hailed the “important” statements made by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the Cyprus problem during the ongoing enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem.

He highlighted the fact that Fidan had said Turkey “has never been a country which shies away from negotiations or avoids discussing issues in a civil, rational, and mature manner”, that he had said Turkey is acting “with a win-win formula in mind”, and that he had said Turkey will “never lose our empathy for the other side”, among other things.

“I believe Fidan’s messages about the negative consequences of the current status quo for Turkish Cypriots and Turkey … and ‘not being the side which avoids negotiations’ are extremely important,” Erhurman said.

He added that the current status quo on the island is “neither sustainable nor acceptable”, and that “negotiations, diplomacy, and dialogue must not be avoided”.

“Reaching a win-win situation through mutual empathy is vital for lasting stability both on the island and in the region. In my opinion, these are important points which must be underlined and taken into consideration by all parties when thinking about the future,” he said.

Erhurman is set to challenge incumbent Ersin Tatar for the role of Turkish Cypriot leader in October.

Fidan had made the statements in the early hours of Thursday morning, stressing that the enlarged meeting’s “purpose” is to “discuss how a way forward can be found to benefit both communities” and to “create greater stability for the international community and the region, based on a vision which is based on the realities of the island”.

“We are quite constructive on this issue. Our president [Recep Tayyip Erdogan]’s vision on this matter is very clear. We always act with a win-win formula in mind,” he said.

The enlarged meeting is the second of its kind this year, and is being attended by both Fidan and Tatar, as well as by President Nikos Christodoulides, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, and the United Kingdom’s minister of state for Europe Stephen Doughty.