The Mayor of Nicosia, Charalambos Prountzos, has withdrawn from next week’s Cyprus Forum in solidarity with his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mehmet Harmancı, following a dispute over how Harmancı was identified on the event programme.
Harmancı, the elected head of Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality in North Cyprus, pulled out after organisers changed his title from “Mayor of Nicosia Turkish Municipality” to “Leader of the Turkish Cypriot community of Nicosia”. The change followed objections from far-right Greek Cypriot party ELAM, which had called for his invitation to be withdrawn.
In a statement, Cyprus Forum said it received a letter from Prountzos after Harmancı’s withdrawal. The organisers described Prountzos’s decision as “a sign of solidarity” and said they understood and respected both men’s decisions. Prountzos’s letter has not been published, so its fuller wording and any further reasons he gave are not yet known.
The two mayors had appeared together at the forum in previous years and have worked on initiatives across the divided city. Earlier this year, both voiced support for the Imagine peace education programme, which brings Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot children together.
Prountzos is a British-educated lawyer who was elected mayor in June 2024 and took office on 1 July that year. He stood as an independent candidate, with the backing of AKEL, EDEK and Volt. Before entering municipal office, he led a law firm and served on the governing bodies of the Open University of Cyprus. He also participated in a working group on governance and power sharing during earlier Cyprus negotiations.
Cyprus Forum said it had never intended to withdraw Harmancı’s invitation. It apologised if its handling of the matter had set back cooperation between the two communities. The Peace and Democracy Awards ceremony, at which the mayors had been due to appear together, will still go ahead during the forum, which runs from 28 to 30 September.
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Lefkoşa mayor quits Cyprus Forum after title changed following ELAM protest, 25 Sept. 2026
Main image, top, of Charalambos Prountzos in May 2024, from his Facebook page
