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President Tufan Erhurman of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said Thursday that comprehensive Cyprus settlement negotiations cannot begin unless all four steps of the TRNC’s proposed four-point methodology are implemented, warning that current progress falls far short.
“It will not be possible for us to begin comprehensive settlement negotiations unless all four steps are put into effect,” Erhurman said after a trilateral meeting with Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA) leader Nikos Christodoulides and the U.N. Secretary-General’s personal envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar.
Erhurman said the three-hour meeting addressed several issues, including halloumi registration, crossing points, and political equality. While calling the steps on halloumi and crossing points “important but limited,” he emphasized that the overall process remains in the early stages.
Before the meeting, both leaders visited the Committee on Missing Persons. “As two leaders, we reiterated our support for the work of the Committee on Missing Persons,” Erhurman said, noting recent developments in the committee’s work were “concerning.”
Erhurman said the TRNC delegation entered the meeting with three priorities: the four-point methodology for a comprehensive settlement, previously agreed confidence-building measures initiated during the Tatar–Christodoulides period, and a 10-point confidence-building package they presented at the first meeting.
He noted that Christodoulides brought a separate proposal package to the table, but since it was presented for the first time, it was only “noted and taken for further study,” with no detailed negotiations.
One concrete development, Erhurman said, was progress on the halloumi registration issue. “There has been clarity that it will be completed by the end of January,” he said. “This is an important date for our producers.”
Crossing points also saw improvement. Erhurman confirmed that seven booths at the Metehan crossing will remain operational and that licensing procedures will now also be conducted at Bostanci and Derinya. A consensus was also reached to increase staffing at all crossings to reduce congestion.
Additional discussions covered issues such as the transfer of treated water from Haspolat and a proposed solar power plant in the buffer zone. Technical work on both issues is set to continue.
Erhurman stressed that while confidence-building measures are welcome, they are not the end goal. “The main objective is the solution of the Cyprus issue. Confidence-building measures are not the number one goal; they are steps that will pave the way toward a solution.”
He said the joint statement issued after the meeting referenced political equality in line with U.N. Security Council resolutions but fell short by omitting elements such as rotational presidency. “Only the first half of the first point — namely, the definition of political equality — has entered the text,” he said. “There is no rotational presidency.”
Erhurman reiterated the TRNC’s four-point methodology: Acceptance of political equality before talks begin, a time-limited negotiation process, recognition of past convergences, and a guarantee that Turkish Cypriots would not return to the pre-negotiation status quo in case of failure.
“We are currently at one-eighth of these four points,” he said.
Erhurman made clear that discussions on core issues such as security guarantees were not held during the meeting. He described the Greek Cypriot package as similar in nature to the TRNC’s 10-point proposal and said it does not touch the foundations of a comprehensive solution.
“Efforts to find a solution have been ongoing for 50 years without results,” Erhurman said. “We do not want negotiations for the sake of negotiations. We want a negotiating table that will lead us to a solution. That is why the correct methodology must first be accepted. Our position has not changed.”
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