Interview with Androula Taramounta, Andreas Bimbishis, Costas Venizelos and Frixos Dalitis
Our broader strategy is to substantially upgrade the Republic of Cyprus and address internal as well as external challenges that we cannot tackle alone, notes President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides in his interview with Phileleftheros. Speaking about the Cyprus issue, Christodoulides stresses that the message being sent to Turkey is that the Republic of Cyprus is not alone, but rather part of regional cooperation and alliances that promote security. He makes clear that “we have no indications of American intervention on the Cyprus issue, nor have they hinted at such”.
—Can all these moves change Turkey’s stance or will they harden it regarding the Cyprus issue?
—We certainly don’t operate based on what Turkey does, and we don’t approach anything as a zero-sum game. We operate on the basis of a positive approach. The message being sent to Turkey is that the Republic of Cyprus is not alone. It is part of regional cooperation and alliances that promote security, and this is undoubtedly very important.
—How do you handle the internal pressures you’re receiving to give Turkey a role without it taking a step on the Cyprus issue?
—I don’t feel internal pressure on the Cyprus issue, to be honest. I don’t know how things will develop, of course. But speaking generally, we don’t exclude Turkey from regional cooperation if the Cyprus issue is resolved. Turkey, with its general behaviour and stance, its neo-Ottoman aspirations, excludes itself. At the same time, as the Republic of Cyprus, it’s important that we take initiatives. Our broader strategy is to substantially upgrade the Republic of Cyprus and address internal as well as external challenges that we cannot tackle alone. And all our actions undoubtedly serve the major goal of resolving the Cyprus issue as well.
—Mr Erhürman believes these diplomatic moves don’t help efforts to restart negotiations.
—They don’t negatively affect efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue in any way. We declare that we’re ready to start negotiations even tomorrow. So how do they affect them?
—He complains that you’re bypassing him and seeking to speak directly with Mr Erdoğan…
—I don’t agree with Mr Erhürman’s reaction on this specific issue. On quite a few occasions recently we’ve spoken informally with Turkey or through third countries. The Republic of Cyprus is an internationally recognised state, an EU member state, that speaks with everyone.
—Do you agree with the perception that something changes with Erhürman’s election or, in essence, are we at the same point, since he doesn’t exercise different policy from his predecessor?
—Certainly Mr Erhürman is different from Mr Tatar, and you can tell this easily when you meet him. However, we’ll all be judged at the negotiating table. If negotiations don’t start, we cannot speak with certainty about any of us. At the level of rhetoric and discussions, Mr Erhürman is certainly different from Mr Tatar. With Mr Tatar we lost two and a half years discussing only CBMs (Confidence-Building Measures), to keep this process alive because we couldn’t discuss substance. Now is the time to address substance.
—But Mr Erhürman also talks about CBMs.
—Yes, he talks about CBMs too, but I refer you to his recent statement after our meeting that CBMs cannot substitute for a Cyprus solution and that the goal is to resolve the Cyprus issue.
—Can we enter talks before Mr Erhürman secures what he wants with political equality?
—We’ve never disputed political equality. Political equality was disputed by Mr Tatar, who interpreted it as sovereign equality. Political equality, as recorded in UN resolutions, has never been disputed by us. Regarding Mr Erhürman’s public statements, let me mention that governance is one of the six core chapters of the Cyprus issue and we must discuss them all comprehensively with the goal of resolving the Cyprus issue. And I genuinely hope talks will resume as soon as possible. This is also the position I conveyed to him. For Turkish Cypriots, governance is important; for Greek Cypriots, the issues of guarantees and security are important. However, we don’t set them as preconditions for resuming talks. We must examine everything through comprehensive negotiation.
—Is there a different interpretation of political equality from Mr Erhürman?
—No. With the joint statement I believe the issue is now clear.
—Might he be trying to secure certain positions in order to negotiate as far as his capabilities allow?
—I can’t speak on his behalf. This was also an understanding we reached from our first meeting, and I absolutely respect it: that one doesn’t speak on behalf of the other.
—Since they’re included in the UN Secretary-General’s framework and are all together, they must therefore be discussed…
—All chapters, as they are in the Secretary-General’s framework. In the framework, UN Secretary-General António Guterres recorded the main issues on which there is disagreement, giving a direction for how they can be resolved. And I’m ready to start from where talks broke down at Crans-Montana.
—Will we have a multilateral conference during the period when Cyprus holds the EU Presidency?
—We believe there must be a multilateral conference as soon as possible to announce the commencement of substantive negotiations, and our readiness and availability are not affected at all by holding the EU Council Presidency.
—Has a date been set?
—Not yet.
No American hints of intervention on the Cyprus issue
—Are there indications of American intervention on the Cyprus issue, and how concerned are you that it might be like previous interventions in Gaza and Ukraine?
—We have no indications of American intervention on the Cyprus issue, nor have they hinted at such. Our discussions with the US about the Cyprus issue fall within the general framework of our discussions about the region and the need for Cyprus to continue being a predictable and reliable US partner in the region. And I consider this very important. It’s a success that the Cyprus issue is not being approached as an isolated dispute between us and the Turkish Cypriots or Turkey, but as an issue of the broader region.
—President Trump was categorical in his approach…
—Mr Trump’s approach, both in Ukraine and in our region regarding Israel and Iran and the situation in Gaza, is part of a broader approach for the wider region. And in Ukraine his approach doesn’t concern only Ukraine, but the region more broadly.
—In your joint statement you chose to reference United Nations resolutions, and there’s public discussion that there was no reference to the form of solution. And secondly, do you believe there’s an informal timeline tied to the end of Guterres’s term for any developments on the Cyprus issue?
—First, references to UN resolutions automatically describe the form of the Cyprus solution as well. You can’t approach the resolutions selectively, à la carte. Regarding the informal timeline, we didn’t discuss anything like that. Timelines have been tried and failed. Guterres’s presence helps, as he was head of an EU member state and knows how the EU works, so undoubtedly his presence is positive. Beyond that, if there is political will, there can be a solution even before Mr Guterres’s departure. Everything is a matter of political will and readiness, and we are fully ready.