The rotating presidency has long been a central demand of the Turkish Cypriot side, which regards the arrangement as an essential mechanism for ensuring political equality between the island's two communities, according to Cyprus Mail.
Under such a system, representatives of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities would alternate in holding the presidency of a future federal administration, with the precise terms and duration of their respective mandates determined through negotiations.
Mehmet Dana, Erhurman's undersecretary, previously told the Cyprus Mail that the principle was an "indispensable component" of political equality.
"Political equality forms the foundation of a structure requiring the joint exercise of a limited number of specific powers, shared competences, and this is not open to negotiation," Dana stated.
He argued that previous attempts to resolve the Cyprus issue had encountered difficulties because fundamental questions concerning political equality were left unresolved.
According to Dana, the "primary reason" for the failure of earlier negotiations, particularly the 2017 talks at Crans-Montana between then-Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı, was that "political equality was made a subject of negotiation and subsequently used to cause a deadlock in the process".
His assessment reflects the Turkish Cypriot leadership's interpretation of the failed negotiations, rather than an agreed conclusion shared by both sides.
Dana maintained that a different approach would be required to prevent a repetition of previous diplomatic setbacks.
"Guided by the [United Nations] secretary-general’s approach that ‘this time must be different’, acceptance of this issue in principle must occur prior to the commencement of the negotiation process," he said.
However, he clarified that accepting the principle of a rotating presidency would not mean that all aspects of the arrangement had to be settled before negotiations began.
"Naturally, once the rotating presidency is accepted in principle, the specific terms, such as the duration of the respective tenures and other details, would be negotiated once the talks actually begin," Dana explained.
Disagreement leaves negotiations without a clear path forward
The latest exchange highlights the continuing difficulties surrounding efforts to restart comprehensive negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
The island has remained divided since 1974, and successive UN-sponsored initiatives have failed to produce a comprehensive political settlement.
The most recent major round of reunification negotiations collapsed at Crans-Montana in Switzerland in 2017, leaving unresolved disagreements over governance, political equality, security arrangements and other elements of a potential settlement.
The UN has continued diplomatic engagement with both communities in an effort to identify common ground for renewed discussions.
However, the dispute over the rotating presidency demonstrates that the parties remain divided not only over the substance of a future agreement but also over the conditions under which formal negotiations should resume.
For Erhurman, prior acceptance of political equality through a rotating presidency is necessary to ensure that negotiations are productive. For Christodoulides, requiring such acceptance before talks begin amounts to imposing conditions that could prevent dialogue.
With neither side indicating a change in its position, the prospect of an immediate resumption of comprehensive negotiations remains uncertain.
Essentially to note that, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2026, with the Cyprus issue among the topics discussed. However, that meeting was distinct from the proposed trilateral talks involving the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders, which have yet to take place.