Turkey is maintaining a hands-off policy during the current Cyprus negotiations, according to the Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign minister’ Emine Colak.

Ms Colak said that during the recent visit to the island’s north by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, her impression from private meetings with him was that Ankara was sincere in wanting a Cyprus settlement.

Colak said that while Turkey “of course” had its own interests and the Cyprus issue was a major headache in terms of its EU path, “there are a lot of reasons why Turkey wants to see the problem resolved”.

“Turkey is not intervening or trying to manipulate or be part of specific content that is being discussed between our leaders. There is no pressure, intervention or any paranoia about what is being agreed at the table,” Colak added.

Commenting on Erdogan’s “harsh reaction” towards Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci’s statement earlier this year that relations should be on an equal basis, Colak said though relations with Turkey were important to the Turkish Cypriots, they had “strong feelings that we want to be masters of our own home”.

Menwhile, the Cypriot leaders have turned their sights on the central issues of property and territorial adjustment that for decades have blocked agreement.

Territorial adjustments and property compensation remain the most complex and divisive issues in the search for a compromise to end more than four decades of division.

UN envoy Espen Barth Eide confirmed that during the latest round of talks between President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, both leaders “agreed that the individual’s right to property is respected”.

“Dispossessed owners and current users shall have various choices regarding their claims to affected properties. These different choices shall include compensation, exchange and reinstatement.”

Mr Eide said an independent Property Commission would be established to resolve property claims based on mutually-agreed criteria.

Source: Cyprus Mail/AFP