If nothing else, you are talking directly to Turkey with Tatar, said between a serious and funny Turkish Cypriot politician of the wider progressive area, commenting to “P” the developments after the first meeting of the two leaders last Tuesday. According to information, our side also got this impression after the meeting, during which Ersin Tatar did not make an effort to prove the opposite, but also admitted that at this stage he is not fully informed about the Cyprus issue. In fact, the same information states that the Turkish Cypriot leader during the dinner asked for time to constantly communicate through messages with his associates.
On the one hand, the admittedly inadequate handling of the Cyprus issue at the moment, and on the other hand, the universal impression that Mr. Tatar is not taking a step without Ankara's approval, lead to the assessment that the informal pentagon, accepted by both Turkey and and the Turkish Cypriot side, a key interlocutor of the Greek Cypriot side and President Anastasiadis will be Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Tsavousoglu. As he states to various interlocutors, one of the reasons he preferred and accepted the five-party was that Mevlut Tsavousoglu would sit next to him.
Risk assessment
Political analysts, both on the Greek and Turkish sides, are sounding the alarm and urging caution as the belief that talking to Ersin Tatar is talking to Turkey is sure to hide pitfalls that may to make it very difficult for the Greek Cypriot side, and the assessment is that the Turkish side will proceed with tactics in the informal pentamer.
It is no coincidence that the same sources consider the fact that Ersin Tatar used more cautious language in his meeting with President Anastasiadis, avoiding to name what he has publicly stated since the day of his “election”, that is, that he will seek a two-state solution, although in this he was clear in the interview he gave yesterday to “Politis”.
Exclusive interview with Ersin Tatar on “P”: We will open Famagusta to the people of Varos
The Turkish Cypriot leader, skillfully in the meeting and under the auspices of Ms. Spehar, used the phrase “new ideas”, which is accepted by both the UN and the Greek side, leaving the rest to be understood, with references to efforts that have been tried for years and have not borne fruit.
The fact that he was forced to comment in writing for the second time after the meeting is also indicative of the fact that the other side does not want to intensify the climate at this stage, but clarifies every year and tone that it wants the five-party , regarding the discussion of the essence of the Cyprus problem. In his oral statements after the meeting with Nikos Anastasiadis, Ersin Tatar spoke of two separate states, while in the written position of the “presidency” the reference “two states” does not exist and speaks of “new ideas outside the molds, with the aim of not to condemn the attempt with failed prescriptions “.
There is a plan
Political analysts in the occupied territories stress that the positive response of Tatarstan to participate in the informal Pentagon, with the reminder that Turkey is the one that requested it, is not interpreted as a compromise, but as a tactic aimed primarily at avoiding responsibility, but also to leave all possibilities open.
Some, in fact, do not rule out the possibility that the “new ideas” of Tatar, which refer to a change in the basis of a solution to the Cyprus problem, do not fall with the “good morning” of the new effort (despite the fact that he foreshadowed President Anastasiadis UN), but to put them at the end of an unsuccessful new endeavor as a BD plan. In fact, they consider it very probable that a substantive negotiation will take place on the basis of the ICC and that attempts will be made to introduce conditions – at a time that will favor the other side – for a timetable, or for discussing Plan B in case the federal solution plan is rejected. of the two referendums in Cyprus.
Varosi and Turkey
One of the big questions is how the Turkish side will move in terms of its plans for Varosi. Given that there is already a positive response to participation in the informal five-party, one would reasonably expect the provocative actions to stop, in order to give space to the negotiation, but also to avoid blaming.
However, things are becoming more difficult, even if there was this intention, as the issue of Varos has been reduced to an issue of national importance with messages that have already passed on to the base of Turkish society.
“For anything that comes down to a national issue with popular approval, it is difficult to withdraw,” a source who is well acquainted with Turkish politics and culture told “P”. Therefore, Varosi and the plans for it will remain a “living” issue for Turkey, if nothing else in terms of impressions, without ruling out further substantial steps to create new ones. Mr. Tatar in his interview with “Politis” was clear that the opening of the city will proceed and that the E / C residents will be able to claim their property through the Compensation Committee.
Lut starts contacts
According to reliable information of “Politis”, after the meeting Anastasiadis – Tatar and the relevant public announcement, the hands of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres are released, who has authorized his envoy Jane Hall Luth to start exploratory contacts within the week with all interested parties. Specifically, Ms. Lut will speak with both sides in Cyprus but also with the three guarantor powers.
The dilemma that the United Nations has to face, something that is of course of direct interest to the Greek Cypriot side, is the subject of the Pentagon. Which will be procedural, so the next steps will be discussed in focus. In essence, of course, some of the participating members want to know in advance the positions of the Turkish side. Will he go ahead and call for talks between the two countries? Will he ask for all the solutions to be on the table? Will it start with a discussion of the ICC to prove that new ideas must be put on the table? According to our information, this will be the main object of Ms. Lut's consultations, since Antonio Guterres wants to know exactly what he will face. However, Turkey's attempt to change the basis of the talks, if it so wishes, is expected to provoke a reaction from the other guarantor powers, namely Britain, Greece, but also the EU, especially if the Turkish side wants the Turkish Cypriot side. State to be a member of the Union.
However, according to information, no dates have been finalized for Ms. Lut in Nicosia. This is likely to happen, according to the same sources, around the end of November – beginning of December.
