Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met on Tuesday as part of the U.N. head's latest diplomatic effort to revive stalled negotiations over the divided island, with both expressing support for confidence-building measures and a renewed approach to the decades-old Cyprus dispute.
The meeting took place at the Turkish Cypriot presidential office after Guterres held talks earlier in the day with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides in the southern part of the island.
Speaking before the closed-door meeting, Erhürman said the Turkish Cypriot side remained committed to working toward a "fair and lasting" settlement while emphasizing the need for a different negotiating framework from previous rounds of talks.
"I believe you are aware of the Turkish Cypriot people's strong commitment to a fair and lasting solution," Erhürman noted. "We are doing our best regarding confidence-building measures. Unlike the experiences of 2004 and 2017, we are now working on a new and realistic methodology that can help us achieve our common goal."
He also expressed support for the U.N. secretary-general's mediation efforts, saying the Turkish Cypriot side would continue to contribute to the process.
