Fidan's visit to occupied northern Cyprus draws Nicosia protest ahead of 9 November talks

Fidan's visit and Ankara's position

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spent Friday, 6 November, in the occupied north of Cyprus, where he met Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman and other Turkish Cypriot officials. The visit ended without public remarks on Ankara's stance toward the proposed confidence-building measures. In a post on X that Friday evening, Fidan restated Turkey's view that two states on the island offer the most realistic solution. He also said recognition of the so-called inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people is a precondition for a fair and lasting settlement, and he congratulated the Turkish Cypriot state in advance on its 43rd anniversary on 15 November.

Nicosia condemns the trip

The Cypriot foreign ministry condemned the visit in a statement and described it as illegal.

“This visit constitutes yet another provocation, added to the continuing violations of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey.”

The ministry said the trip showed contempt for United Nations and European Union decisions. It pointed to the contradiction between Turkey seeking the election of its candidate as UN Secretary-General and remaining a candidate for EU membership, and it referred to a recent European Commission report recording Turkey's continued departure from its obligations. The ministry added that Turkey confirms its full contempt for the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

“In a period of heightened diplomatic activity, Turkey confirms its full contempt for the principles of the UN Charter and international law.”

Nicosia repeated its commitment to resuming negotiations on a fair, viable and comprehensive settlement based on the agreed framework and UN Security Council resolutions. It said, however, that a decision to resume substantive talks still depends on Turkey's position.

Monday's trilateral meeting and the crossing points

On Monday, 9 November, President Nikos Christodoulides, Tufan Erhürman and UN personal envoy María Ángela Holguín are due to meet. The meeting is expected to show whether both sides are ready to put confidence-building measures into effect, which would clear the way for a new informal five-party conference with the two communities and the three guarantor powers, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made such measures a precondition for that conference, but the article notes that no real progress has been recorded in implementing the agreed measures. Turkish news agency ANKA reported that the sides are close to agreement on opening four new crossing points at Mia Milia, on the Athienou-Pyroi-Aglantzia route, at Louroujina-Lympia and at Kampos-Karavostasi. Holguín's proposal also covers demining, and the two sides disagree on how large an area it should cover. The last new crossings opened in November 2018, at Deryneia and Lefka-Aplici, under an agreement between then president Nicos Anastasiades and then Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı. Since then, despite repeated consultations, no further crossings have opened.

The cable dispute with Greece

The French research vessel Abeille Marengo, chartered by Nexans, has been at the port of Heraklion in Crete since 27 October. Its first miles are meant to calibrate its sonar and echo sounders before surveys begin for the best underwater route of the GSI electricity cable linking Greece and Cyprus. The NAVTEX notice says the work may last until 6 March 2027. Surveys are to start southeast of Karpathos and continue up to 12 nautical miles off Cyprus. About 60% of the marine surveys on the Greece-to-Cyprus route are complete, and in 2024 the work was interrupted off Kasos.

On Friday, Turkey's foreign ministry said a French-flagged vessel planned unauthorised marine research inside its continental shelf, and that the NAVTEX warnings issued by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration had been cancelled by Turkey. Ankara also said the consent required under international law had not been obtained. On Saturday Fidan told SKAI correspondent Manolis Kostidis in Istanbul that everything was normal and good. Turkish diplomatic sources said the cable issue had been resolved, without giving details. Greek diplomatic sources in Athens replied that Greece is the only country that licenses such work, that it acted as international law requires and that it will continue to do so, adding that Turkey's internal management is not Athens' concern.