A strong reference to Cyprus and the Cyprus issue is included in the report of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) on Turkey’s path toward the European Union.
The report was approved on Wednesday with 44 votes in favor, 10 against, and 17 abstentions, and examines the development of EU–Turkey relations for 2025, the state of accession negotiations, and issues concerning international law and relations with EU Member States.
Single international entity
More specifically, the report reiterates the position that the only solution to the Cyprus issue remains a fair, comprehensive, and viable settlement within the framework of the United Nations, based on a Bizonal, Bicommunal Federation, with a single international legal personality, single sovereignty, single citizenship, and political equality, as provided for in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The report also refers to issues related to the Varosha area (Famagusta) and property matters, calling for the avoidance of unilateral actions and for respect for the international framework.
New Special Envoy
At the same time, it calls for the swift appointment of a new Special Envoy of the European Commission for Cyprus, while welcoming the two informal meetings in an expanded format under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General held in Geneva in March 2025 and in New York in July 2025, as well as the meetings in Cyprus between President Nikos Christodoulides and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Tufan Erhürman, in December 2025—during which a joint statement emphasized that “the real objective is the resolution of the Cyprus problem with political equality as described in the UN Security Council resolutions”—as well as in February 2026.
Reference is also made to the agreement on further confidence-building measures as a positive and substantive step, encouraging their implementation and calling on the European Union and its Member States to consistently support the continuation of this dialogue and to be ready to support, in any way required, the potential success of this process. The report also encourages all parties to make use of this momentum to move toward the resumption of negotiations and not to miss this window of opportunity.
Missing persons
It also calls on Turkey to respect judicial decisions related to missing persons and property in Cyprus, including the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 24 January 2008 in the case concerning the killings of Tasos Isaak and Solomos Solomou. It emphasizes the need for the Turkish authorities to execute the international arrest warrants issued against the suspects in these killings and to hand them over to the Republic of Cyprus.
Members of the European Parliament also call on Turkey to respect the status of the buffer zone and the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), to end and reverse all unilateral actions and violations within and near the buffer zone, and to refrain from any further such actions and provocations, including the harassment and intimidation of farmers. It reiterates the European Parliament’s call for cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations to implement specific demilitarization measures in the buffer zone, in order to reduce tensions and help create a favorable environment for the resumption of negotiations under UN auspices. The report underlines the need for Turkey to withdraw from Strovilia and to facilitate the full implementation of the Pyla Agreement.
CNA