TRNC President Erhürman: Greek Cypriot side rejected UN's demining proposal

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Tufan Erhürman made statements regarding the confidence-building measures package presented by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a television program he attended. Erhürman stated that among the comprehensive proposals presented by Guterres were the opening of new crossing points, demining of the buffer zone, joint efforts against irregular migration, crisis management in natural disasters, sports activities for youth, resolution of the European Union citizenship issue for children born from mixed marriages, and the establishment of a civil society mechanism.

Erhürman noted that discussions in Cyprus generally revolve around new border crossings, but there are also serious disagreements on other topics. He touched upon the proposal to start demining from the buffer zone of the island. Erhürman stated that this goal, which has been included in UN reports for many years, was accepted by the Turkish side, but the leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCASC), Nikos Christodoulides, rejected the proposal.

Erhürman expressed that negotiations regarding new crossing points are ongoing based on the UN map and that the process contains more details than what is reflected to the public. He noted that discussions continue on the routes of Haspolat, Akıncılar, and Kiracıköy-Eğlence. Erhürman reported that the offer by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to undertake the construction of the road passing from the north for the Kiracıköy-Eğlence crossing point was rejected by the Greek side, and subsequently, the proposal to create an alternative route from the south with European Union funds was also not accepted.

President Erhürman also conveyed that the proposal to pay the expropriation costs of Greek properties from before 1974 located on the route if the road passes from the north through the Immovable Property Commission was rejected by the GCASC. Erhürman emphasized that the confidence-building measures brought to the agenda by the UN Secretary-General should be addressed with a holistic perspective.