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The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Tufan Erhurman told European Union Commission Vice President and Cyprus Special Representative Raffaele Fitto that the EU cannot serve as a party at any future negotiating table on the Cyprus issue during a meeting.
The meeting came after the TRNC Foreign Ministry's earlier statement that it would not engage with Fitto in any capacity.
According to a statement from the TRNC Presidency, Erhurman told Fitto that the Turkish Cypriot people's trust in EU institutions had been further shaken by what he described as the recent one-sided and biased positions, conduct and decisions of EU institutions, particularly the European Parliament.
"In the meeting, we first explained that the recent unilateral and biased stance, conduct and decisions of EU institutions, especially the European Parliament, have further shaken trust in the EU," Erhurman said in a written statement following the meeting.
Erhurman said he told Fitto that Turkish Cypriots need confidence-building measures not only with the Greek Cypriot leadership but with the EU as well.
"I told Fitto that, for reasons known to everyone, the EU can't take part as a party at a possible negotiating table, but that if there is a genuine desire to contribute to a just and lasting solution on the island, the EU could play a positive role regarding confidence-building measures linked to it," he said.
The Turkish Cypriot president said he told Fitto that he had repeatedly and clearly demonstrated his political will for a solution and that it was long past time to end what he described as the isolation imposed on Turkish Cypriots.
"In this context, we had the opportunity to discuss with Fitto issues such as the implementation of the Direct Trade Regulation without further delay, difficulties in the implementation of the Green Line Regulation, and negative developments regarding Turkish Cypriots' EU citizenship and property issues," he said.
Fitto also met separately with Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA) leader Nikos Christodoulides during his visit to the island, and social media posts he shared afterward drew public criticism.
Turkish Cypriot media reported that in photos from his meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader, Fitto posed in front of flags of what Turkish media described as the "so-called Republic of Cyprus," while his post covering his visit to the TRNC presidency did not include any flag, a discrepancy that became a focus of criticism.
Turkish Cypriot media also reported criticism over Fitto's posts referring to Erhurman as a "community leader" while referring to Christodoulides as "president."
The meeting followed a TRNC Foreign Ministry statement issued a day earlier saying the ministry would not recognize Fitto's appointment as EU special representative for Cyprus and that his activities in the TRNC "carry no legitimacy whatsoever," adding that "he will not be received as an interlocutor in any capacity".
capacity."
Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with TRNC Prime Minister Unal Ustel in Ankara on July 31, according to a post from the Foreign Ministry on X.
No further details of the meeting's content were provided.
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