President says he expects EU announcements related to the Cyprus issue in 2024

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, has said that he expects announcements by the European Union in 2024 related to the Cyprus problem.

In statements upon his arrival at the European Council in Brussels on 17 October, and speaking about a conversation he had with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in the context of the preparatory meeting of the European People's Party, Christodoulides said that these announcements "would show the increased interest that exists", without getting, however, into details.

He expressed the belief that these announcements would come after the approval of the new members of the European Commission by the European Parliament. This process is expected to be completed by the end of November.

President Christodoulides also referred to the informal dinner he had with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York on the evening of 15 October, and noted that he will inform the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about it.

The President assessed that immigration would be the main issue on the agenda of the 27 at their meeting on 17 October, referring to the preparatory discussion in which he took part in the margins of the meeting with a group of member states at the initiative of Italy, during which, as he said the issue of Syria was going to be discussed.

Cyprus and trilateral meeting

In his statements, President Christodoulides said he was going to inform Scholz and Mitsotakis on the informal meeting in New York on the Cyprus issue, which he said "keeps alive the prospect of resuming the talks".

"I am pleased with the Secretary General's commitment and perseverance, we are here to strengthen this effort, together with the European Union, which has a crucial role to play," he added.

The President noted that the next steps in the effort include those that the UN Secretary General will take to "call an informal expanded meeting so that the prospects for resuming talks can be specifically explored", as well as the meeting that himself will have with Ersin Tatar in Nicosia "to explore the prospects, the possibility of some additional crossing points".

He added that "there are many proposals from our side for Confidence Building Measures, proposals that I have put forward to the Secretary General. Unfortunately we did not have the response we expected," the President noted.

Referring to statements on 16 October by a European Commission representative, the President stressed that the Cyprus problem is a European problem and the EU "has a role to play".

He referred to a discussion he had with Commission President von der Leyen at the European People's Party meeting before the beginning of the summit. "We should expect some concrete announcements from the European Union soon, which will also show the increased interest that exists, because it does exist, in relation to the resumption of talks," he added.

Asked when he expects these announcements to take place, the President replied "within 2024", after "the presentations of the Commissioners-designate at the European Parliament".

"After that, I hope that the specific announcements will be made by the European Union showing the leading role that it can play," he added.

Migration

Referring to the summit agenda, President Christodoulides expressed the view that, apart from the discussion with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky "whose presence is important both for substantive and symbolic reasons", the main issue will be migration management.

The President expressed satisfaction "with the fact that it seems that the European Union is now approaching this issue with the seriousness it should", referring to the letter by von der Leyen to the 27 where she lists "the steps to be taken by the European Union. And it is positive that finally the issue of Syria is included in this frame of discussions on migration," he added.

"When I first started my effort on this, there were only two or three member states that insisted on the need to touch upon the Syrian issue. Now several member states agree with our approach," he noted, referring to the stance of Cyprus and other countries in terms of changing the status of part of Syria to be considered safe for the return of asylum seekers and refugees.

"There will be a preparatory meeting on this issue organized by the Italian Prime Minister," he added.

Shortly afterwards, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in a post on "X" that the meeting was attended by the Prime Ministers of Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, Greece, Poland, the Czech Republic, Malta and Hungary, the Austrian Chancellor and President von der Leyen.

The aim of the meeting, he noted, was "to coordinate and promote a common position on migration, particularly with regard to the external dimension, exploring innovative solutions that can be considered, strengthening partnerships with countries of transit and origin, but also creating conditions for dignified and voluntary returns of Syrians in cooperation with the UNHCR, in the light of the unfolding crisis in Lebanon".

Middle East and Lebanon

With regard to the situation in the Middle East, President Christodoulides said in his  statements that developments are very worrisome, and noted that the Republic of Cyprus, as an EU member state in the region that has "excellent relations with all neighbouring states",  is doing “everything possible to address this very difficult situation within the framework of our capabilities.”

He also noted that Cyprus "is sending medical aid to Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese authorities" and is in constant contact with the Lebanese army, "an institution of the country that is appreciated, positively approached" by "the whole political spectrum of Lebanon".

He said that the EU needed to support the Lebanese army as "it is the institution that can play a decisive role in these very difficult circumstances".

Competitiveness and the Mediterranean

The President also said that at the summit on 17 October there would first be a discussion on competitiveness issues, "the great weakness" of the EU vis-à-vis the US and China. "We have problems, we have difficulties, we need concrete solutions. We need to increase the productivity of the European Union through digital transformation," he said, adding that he expects the 27 to touch upon the issue of how the EU can boost this effort financially.

He stressed that all the above issues were also discussed last week in Cyprus in the framework of a meeting of the nine Mediterranean member states of the European Union (MED9), in the presence of the King of Jordan.

He spoke of "a very productive discussion" that took place, adding that he expects the MED9 states to have a common approach on 17 October, as what is happening in the Mediterranean affects the whole EU.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended conclusively.   

(Source: CNA)