Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Tufan Erhürman pledged Monday to pursue diplomacy and dialogue to strengthen mutual trust, advance efforts toward a settlement of the Cyprus dispute and end the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
Erhürman's remarks followed a response from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to a letter he sent Aug. 28, raising concerns over Greek Cypriot efforts to cancel festivals and activities organized by a Barcelona soccer school, as well as attempts to obstruct contacts with foreign diplomats.
According to Erhürman, Guterres said in his Oct. 16 response that he had carefully noted the concerns and described the reported actions as discouraging and inconsistent with efforts to build mutual trust between the two communities.
Erhürman welcomed the U.N. chief's position, saying it reinforced the Turkish Cypriot side's longstanding concerns over measures that undermine confidence-building efforts.
"It is important to us that the secretary-general shares the view we have repeatedly expressed," Erhürman noted.
He emphasized that implementing confidence-building measures remained a key priority, with the aim of creating favorable conditions for renewed negotiations toward a lasting settlement on the divided island.
Erhürman also expressed hope that Guterres' letter would guide international actors in assessing actions that contributed to the isolation of Turkish Cypriots and undermined trust between the two sides.
He said that such measures contradicted international efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation on the island.
"We will continue working tirelessly through diplomacy and dialogue to build trust, pursue a solution and ensure our people can engage with the world," Erhürman emphasized.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.