Anastasiades: EU leaders clear that Turkey`s position cannot be tolerated

EU leaders are clear that Turkey`s position on Cyprus solution cannot be accepted or tolerated, President Nicos Anastasiades has said.

The president who is in Porto for the EU Social Summit, spoke to the press on Saturday and said that he had the chance to brief in detail the EU leaders on the Geneva meeting that took place April 27-29.

He  added that he told his EU partners that Cyprus was ready and had the political will and determination to contribute to reach common ground that would allow the UN Secretary-General to call for the resumption of the talks.

He noted that the solution must be in the framework of the UN resolutions on Cyprus, UNSG`s mandate and the joint statement issued on November 25, 2019  after the Berlin meeting the SG had with the two leaders. Anastasiades and former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

Anastasiades said that “unfortunately” in Geneva Turkey proceeded with new demands which were not included in the parameters set for a solution and, he said, it had an aggressive stance demanding a two-state solution and the recognition of the Turkish Cypriot community as an independent entity in order to come to the negotiating table.

He added that EU leaders listened to him with understanding and he underlined that the EU Summit to convene in June was of utter importance as regards future EU-Turkey relations. This course would be very much affected if Turkey continued “to support its illegal and unacceptable claims” he said.