Christodoulides urges active EU role in talks

President Nikos Christodoulides spoke with Charles Michel, president of the European Council, where he pressed the need for the EU play a more active role towards resolving the Cyprus problem.

The two spoke over the phone on Monday afternoon in which Christodoulides gave a brief outline of his reasoning and the need for the bloc to be more engaged on the issue.

“Both in the efforts to break the deadlock and to resume talks for a resolution of the Cyprus problem,” the president’s office said in an announcement.

He briefed Michel on the latest meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Colin Stewart, head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (Unficyp).

The president’s office added that the matter will be discussed in greater detail with the heads of other institutions and leaders of member states during an upcoming visit to Brussels.

Soon after his election, Christodoulides spoke with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and expressed his determination to resume talks for a Cyprus settlement.

Official negotiations on the Cyprus problem have been frozen since they fell apart in Crans Montana in 2017. Tatar and Turkey have since said that any talks based on a bizonal, bicommunal basis have been exhausted; they are now pushing for a two-state solution.

Turkey typically views the EU as biased in favour of the Greek Cypriots but Christodoulides believes that the bloc can provide the necessary incentives to create a win-win situation.