President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday that substantive progress on the Cyprus issue is a prerequisite for any positive developments in relations between the European Union and Turkey.
Speaking during a press conference reviewing Cyprus' Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Christodoulides said meaningful progress towards restarting reunification negotiations within the agreed UN framework must come before Brussels considers advancing its relationship with Ankara.
EU and NATO
"The position of the European Union, as conveyed both to the United Nations and to the Turkish government, is identical to that of the Republic of Cyprus," he said.
"There must be substantive progress on the Cyprus issue towards the resumption of negotiations on the basis of the agreed framework before any positive steps regarding EU-Turkey relations can be considered."
The president said Turkey was seeking preferential treatment not only in its relations with the EU but also in matters relating to NATO, adding that the EU's position remained aligned with that of Cyprus.
Asked whether the Cyprus issue would be discussed during an upcoming dinner between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, Christodoulides said it would "certainly" be on the agenda.
Restarting negotiations
He said he remained in close contact with von der Leyen and was due to meet her again in Paris on 13 July, expressing hope that Ankara would respond positively to efforts to restart negotiations.
"If there is a positive response from President Erdoğan in that direction, the European Union is also ready to respond," he said.
Responding to questions on the EU's engagement with Turkey, Christodoulides said no EU member state or institution had asked Cyprus to soften its position on Ankara. He added that the bloc had consistently raised concerns over the exclusion of the Republic of Cyprus from international meetings involving Turkey.
On EU-Turkey relations, the president said progress on modernising the EU-Turkey Customs Union and visa liberalisation depended on Turkey fulfilling existing obligations, including those relating to Cyprus.
"You cannot ask to modernise an agreement when you are not implementing the existing one," he said.
Cyprus and Gaza
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said Cyprus continued to participate in UN-led discussions on Gaza's reconstruction and had updated proposals it first submitted after the outbreak of the war.
He said implementation of reconstruction plans depended on political and security developments on the ground, including arrangements relating to governance, the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the availability of funding.
Kombos added that Cyprus remained ready to contribute through its humanitarian maritime corridor, which continues to operate in cooperation with the United Nations.
The president also reiterated that Cyprus' accession to NATO remained a strategic objective but said the government would only submit a formal application when the political conditions were favourable and the country was fully prepared administratively and operationally.
Christodoulides also said he disagreed with recent comments by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas opposing the creation of an independent European army, arguing that recent events in the region had demonstrated the importance of deeper European defence cooperation and solidarity.
Source: CNA
