European Council President Antonio Costa will visit Nicosia on September 4 as part of his tour of European Union member state capitals, where he is expected to hold talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the latest developments in the Cyprus issue, an area in which Costa has played an active role in broader European efforts aimed at influencing Turkey's position and creating conditions for a meaningful resumption of negotiations.
The meeting will provide an opportunity for coordination at the highest institutional level, focusing on the use of EU instruments and the linkage between EU-Turkey relations and progress on the Cyprus issue.
EU budget planning also on agenda
The visit forms part of the second week of Costa's "Tour des Capitales" initiative.
Through meetings with heads of state and government, the European Council president is seeking to discuss the priorities of the EU agenda, with particular emphasis on preparations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the bloc's long-term budget.
The consultations are intended to help prepare the ground for upcoming European Council summits and key international meetings.
During the first week of the tour, Costa visited Bratislava, Tallinn, Vilnius, Riga and Prague.
Regional tour continues
The second week of the tour begins on September 2 with meetings in Luxembourg with Prime Minister Luc Frieden, in Zagreb with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and in Budapest with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar.
On September 3, Costa is scheduled to travel to Bucharest for talks with President Nicusor Dan, to Sofia for a meeting with Prime Minister Rumen Radev and to Athens for discussions with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Following his meetings in Nicosia on September 4, Costa will continue to Ljubljana for talks with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa.
The programme for the third week of his tour is also expected to be announced on the same day.
On September 5, the European Council president is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the 52nd Ambrosetti Forum, where he will speak on the theme "Europe in the World".
