The European Union's leadership continues to underscore its readiness to contribute decisively to efforts aimed at resolving the Cyprus issue, a commitment reflected in the appointment of European Commission Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto as the EU's special envoy for Cyprus.
For yet another time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated the EU's determination to support a settlement of the Cyprus problem, while also indicating that the current diplomatic effort could present an important opportunity for positive developments.
In a social media post following her meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides, von der Leyen stressed that the European Union remains fully committed to helping achieve progress in the coming period. "There is real momentum to move forward. The EU is fully committed. Together, we will work to seize this opportunity," she said.
According to Deputy Government Spokesman Yiannis Antoniou, President Christodoulides expressed his appreciation both for the appointment of the EU's new special envoy for Cyprus and for what he described as the Commission's crucial role in supporting the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to restart Cyprus settlement negotiations.
Antoniou said the President referred to negotiations based on the agreed framework and in accordance with the principles, values and legal order of the European Union.
Open dialogue with all parties
The message was echoed by European Commission spokesperson Louise Bosi, who said the special envoy for Cyprus would engage in an open dialogue with all relevant stakeholders and interlocutors in order to help prepare the ground for the resumption of negotiations and support a comprehensive and sustainable settlement.
According to Bosi, this effort will include confidence-building initiatives among all parties involved, particularly the two Cypriot communities.
The Commission spokesperson also sought to address concerns raised by the Turkish Cypriot side regarding Fitto's appointment, including complaints that the Turkish Cypriot leadership had not been informed in advance and allegations that the EU maintains insufficient communication with the other side.
She stressed that: "The EU remains firmly committed to the reunification of Cyprus in line with thE relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and in accordance with EU principles, values and legislation."
Bosi added that Fitto, in his role as special representative for Cyprus, will contribute to the UN-led settlement process in close cooperation with María Ángela Holguín, the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus.
She noted that his appointment was also based on extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Possible meeting with Holguín
As reported by the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), responses from the European Commission did not reveal any immediate developments regarding a possible meeting between Fitto and Holguín.
However, diplomatic sources told CNA that such a meeting is considered highly likely to take place during July.
The appointment of the new EU envoy is widely viewed as an attempt to strengthen the Union's role in supporting the UN process and creating conditions that could facilitate the resumption of formal negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
