President Nikos Christodoulides is briefing the National Council today on the Cyprus problem and expected developments ahead. The body is meeting in its new composition for the first time following the parliamentary elections, with a representative of the ALMA Movement and a representative of Direct Democracy attending for the first time. Christodoulides may also seek separate meetings with some party leaders.
The briefing will cover his recent contacts in Brussels with European Council President Antonio Costa and his latest meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin. Three developments are presented as new elements in the Cyprus problem equation: the EU’s desire for an active role, Guterres’s wish to launch a new initiative before the end of his term, and Ankara’s interest in obtaining concessions from the EU. The appointment of a new EU envoy for the Cyprus problem is also expected.
What Costa told Christodoulides
The outcome of the Brussels meeting with Costa is expected to be a focal point of today’s session. Costa told Christodoulides of two recent phone calls he held with Guterres, during which he conveyed the clear message that any progress in EU-Turkey relations requires Turkey to fulfil its European obligations, including those relating to Cyprus.
“There is a desire from the European Union to see progress in EU-Turkey relations. This depends exclusively on Turkey, starting with the Cyprus problem,” Christodoulides said after the meeting.
Holguin to return to Cyprus after Brussels stop
Holguin is expected to be in Brussels in late June or early July before returning to Cyprus for a new round of contacts. Her return visit is expected to clarify the picture around a possible new Cyprus conference.
“The UN Secretary-General has a plan”
Presidential Press Office Director Viktoras Papadopoulos, speaking yesterday at the annual national memorial for the heroes of Choulous, said the UN Secretary-General “has a plan to break the deadlock and reach a solution to the Cyprus problem.”
Papadopoulos said Christodoulides had from the outset of his presidency launched an international campaign to restart Cyprus talks, working to activate the UN Secretary-General in a new initiative and to create conditions for EU involvement — offering incentives for Turkey to return to negotiations while ensuring any solution would be compatible with EU law and values.
Cyprus is now, he said, “in the midst of a new dynamic effort by the UN Secretary-General and his personal envoy to convene a new expanded conference during the summer that will lead to the resumption of talks for a comprehensive, functional and viable solution,” with Christodoulides “making every possible effort for Antonio Guterres to succeed.”
“The coming weeks will be decisive for the course of our national cause. Consultations are in full swing at various levels, both from the United Nations and from the European Union,” Papadopoulos said.
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