Kanlı urges Erhürman to put status and security first after New York visit

Veteran journalist Özer Kanlı has urged President Tufan Erhürman to examine the terms of any renewed Cyprus negotiations following his meetings in New York, warning against entering another process without clear answers on Turkish Cypriot status, political equality and security.

In a commentary addressed directly to Erhürman, Kanlı argues that the central question is not whether the sides want a settlement, but what kind of settlement they seek and where it would leave the Turkish Cypriot people.

“At the end of such a process, what status would the Turkish Cypriot people have?” he asks. “Would they remain a sovereign people? Or would they become a community incorporated into the state internationally recognized today as the ‘Republic of Cyprus,’ which is, in practice, under Greek Cypriot control?”

His intervention follows discussions in New York over a possible meeting involving Erhürman, Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The UN’s personal envoy, María Ángela Holguín, said a trilateral meeting had not initially been planned and that the Secretary-General had met the leaders separately. (dppa.un.org⁠)

Kanlı says the issue is the basis on which such a meeting would take place. “What matters is not whether a trilateral meeting takes place. What matters is the basis on which that meeting is held.”

He also questions how confidence can grow while, in his view, the Greek Cypriot side seeks to limit Turkish Cypriot contacts abroad and participation in international activities. “How can you build trust with those who cannot even tolerate your engagement with the outside world?” he asks.

Türkiye’s future role as a guarantor and the presence of Turkish troops are equally central to Kanlı’s argument. He asks what would protect Turkish Cypriots if existing security arrangements were dismantled, and whether alternative assurances would be sufficient.

The journalist warns that another failed round of talks could leave the Turkish Cypriot side facing renewed blame and pressure. He calls instead for the questions of status, sovereignty, political equality and security to be settled before negotiations resume, while urging greater effort to strengthen the TRNC economy and Turkish Cypriots’ direct links with the world.

“STATUS FIRST. EQUALITY FIRST. SOVEREIGNTY FIRST. SECURITY FIRST,” Kanlı writes. “Once these are secured, then negotiations can take place.”

His commentary closes with a warning to the President: “Because the future of the Turkish Cypriot people on this land is far too precious to be sacrificed for yet another disappointment.”