The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will meet with the President of the Republic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs at 10:30 am today. Mr. Borel will also have a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar. The agenda of the Borrell contacts will of course be the developments around the Cyprus issue in view of the informal “5 + 1” meeting in Geneva, as there has been a great deal of discussion in the last 24 hours about the role that the EU should have in this process. At the same time, the content of the report prepared by Mr. Borel on Euro-Turkish will be discussed, an issue that is expected to be discussed at the European Council on March 25-26. The Presidency wants in any case to avoid giving “gifts” from the EU to Ankara at this stage, without actually taking any step in the Cyprus issue.
At the same time, the President of the Republic wishes that the issue of Turkey's acceptance and implementation of international law and European principles and values and the fulfillment of its obligations towards the EU member states, as well as of its contribution to the settlement of the Cyprus problem. Both Athens and Nicosia do not want the issue of Turkey to be forgotten and the positive agenda in EU-Turkey relations to be put first in return. At the same time, however, Nicosia wants to achieve clear positions on the part of Borrell in relation to the EU role in the Cyprus issue, but also the desired form of solution, which can not be other than the ICC, which is the agreed solution framework at the grassroots. of UN resolutions. Nicosia, after all, wants the active involvement of the EU in the whole process, something that Turkey does not accept for the time being, leaving the Union in the role of an observer.
Ready to help
The EU supports the resumption of a process of settlement of the Cyprus problem under the auspices of the UN as soon as possible, Mr. Borrell told KYPE, before his arrival in Nicosia. He even expressed the readiness of the Union to help the two parties in this direction, while at the same time he sent the enigmatic message that “the solution cannot come from outside, as the responsibility lies first and foremost with the Cypriots”. In a forerunner of the essence of what he will support today in Nicosia, Mr. Borel noted that the EU “expects Turkey to actively support the negotiations for a fair, comprehensive and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus problem within the UN framework, according to the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in accordance with the founding principles of the EU and the acquis communautaire. He even expressed the position that the process does not start from scratch and that there is a framework and a story with convergences. He clarified that the EU remains an observer in the Cyprus Conference, while the positives include the report by Borel that the EU support offers remain on the table, answering a question that had to do with whether Juncker proposal for financial assistance for the implementation of the reunification is still to be at the table. “The Commission has been providing technical and legal support to the settlement process for many years,” he said, “and will continue to do so.” The High Representative is also expected to address the issue of Varos and confirm that respect for the regime, as defined by the UN Security Council, is particularly important. After all, for the EU, the solution remains crucial to ensure the integrity and decision-making capacity of the EU. That is why the sooner the EU enters and participates in the new settlement process, the better. This is the position of both the government and the EU, and it is a position that is expected to be reaffirmed today.
Message to Ankara
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to contact the Turkish President later in the day, with whom President Anastasiadis had a teleconference yesterday. During their communication, the President of the Republic asked Merkel to convey the message to Erdogan that Turkey should stay away from challenges and avoid influencing the status quo in Famagusta. They also discussed immigration, which is directly related to Turkey, due to European funding for Ankara. For her part, Merkel expressed readiness to assist in the effort to resolve the Cyprus issue.
Averof Neophytou – Andros Kyprianou: They show the way to the Presidential
Merkel to President Anastasiadis: Germany ready to contribute in view of the informal Pentagon on the Cyprus issue
