Nicosia: We will all be judged at the negotiating table, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Tuesday, when asked to comment on statements made by new Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman. In press statements following the student parade in Nicosia for October 28 National Day and in response to a journalist’s remark, among other things, that Erhurman did not refer to a Bizonal Bicommunal Federation, the President said that he reads his daily statements.
According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides mentioned that he has been dealing with the Cyprus issue for many years, in different capacities, and has heard and read a lot. But he went on to note that “we will all be judged at the negotiating table”. President Christodoulides noted that our side wishes more than anyone the end of the Turkish occupation, the liberation and reunification of our country and “we are not afraid of the negotiations because we know where we want to go and how to achieve our goal.”
“We are ready to negotiate within the framework of the United Nations, the principles and values of the European Union”, he underlined. When asked if he had contacted the Turkish Cypriot leader, he said that there had been repeated attempts on his part since the first night of the so-called “election” process in the Turkish occupied areas to communicate but this was not possible. President Christodoulides added that last week, when he was in Brussels for the European Council, he received a phone call and when he tried to communicate again, there was no response.
Referring to the OXI National Day, the President said that we honour and remember the struggle of Greece and the Greek people for universal values, against Nazism and Fascism. He added that in this struggle, thousands of Greeks of Cyprus stood by their brothers to defend Greece and humanity. The President noted also that apart from the parades and all the commemorative events what is more important is to draw the necessary lessons.
He said that in the case of Cyprus the lesson cannot be anything other than the determined struggle for reunification. He also added that in this direction we make use of all the factors of power, internal and external, and we continue this great effort until we are finally free. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, ended inconclusively.
In 2025, the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format is expected later this year. Mara Angela Holgun, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holgun.