Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman rejects Christodoulides proposal for Varosha and Famagusta port

On October 21, 2026, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman confirmed his rejection of a proposal made by Republic of Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides regarding the fenced-off area of Varosha and the port of Famagusta. The proposal suggested placing Varosha under United Nations administration in accordance with Security Council resolutions, while simultaneously opening the port of Famagusta for direct trade under European Union control.

Erhurman labeled the proposal unbalanced and compared it to a formula previously rejected in 2006. He clarified that the port of Famagusta is not technically closed, but rather restricted by the inability to conduct direct trade with the European Union. Furthermore, the Turkish Cypriot leader denied the existence of a formal 19-point document, contrary to some media reports, and maintained that his goal remains achieving a result through dialogue and diplomacy. He also mentioned that a legal case concerning citizenship for children of mixed marriages has been registered with the European Court of Human Rights and is currently awaiting substantive examination.

Erhurman emphasized that while he remains open to diplomatic efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue, the current proposal failed to address the core problem of trade access. No further negotiations on this specific package are currently planned as the parties continue to maintain divergent positions regarding the status of the northern territory and international cooperation.