Guterres replies to Erhürman letter: “Actions blocking trust-building are discouraging”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, replying to a letter from Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman, said obstacles to Turkish Cypriot cultural, sports, political and diplomatic activities are discouraging and run counter to his calls for strengthening mutual trust. According to the Presidency, Guterres answered Erhürman’s letter of 28 August with a letter dated 16 October.

In his letter, Erhürman had highlighted moves targeting music festivals, a Barcelona football club training camp and diplomatic contacts. In his reply, Guterres referred to his recent meeting with Erhürman in New York and his visit to Cyprus in July, stressing the importance of continued contacts, cooperation and trust-building efforts. He asked his Personal Representative to keep working with both sides on confidence-building measures, and said actions that undermine trust, including cancelling events, should be stressed to all relevant actors.

The Presidency also noted that the European Commission had sent similar messages in reply to Erhürman’s letter on the same issue. It further recalled that UN Personal Representative María Ángela Holguín had told journalist Yusuf Kanlı that restricting the international contacts of Turkish Cypriot representatives, and other steps that erode trust, make creating conditions for a settlement harder.