Christodoulides briefs EU leaders on proposed role in Cyprus talks

President Nikos Christodoulides on Friday briefed the 27 leaders of EU member states on his approach to the Cyprus problem at the start of the second day of their Summit.

He reiterated the call for a greater role for the EU in Cyprus problem negotiations, he has repeatedly spoken about since taking up the presidency. The briefing was organised as a communication point on the agenda, without discussion, the Cyprus News Agency reported.

The briefing took place at the beginning of the summit and a discussion on issues concerning the euro area and the economy.

Christodoulides has so far presented his idea to the leaders of the three EU institutions on how he proposes to strengthen the EU’s contribution to the resumption of the talks, as well as how he believes that the process can proceed in parallel with Euro-Turkish talks if there is a resumption.

On Thursday evening, Christodoulides discussed his proposal with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, while a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to take place later on Friday.

Earlier in the day, government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis told CyBC radio that Christodoulides’ first contacts in Brussels were positive.

Efforts and contacts will continue in an intensive manner to make the right preparations for the resumption of talks after the Turkish elections, Letymbiotis added.

He explained that President Christodoulides prepared a detailed non-paper that includes a road map and incentives for Turkey, with the aim of breaking the deadlock in negotiations seeking a resolution in the national problem.

Christodoulides was criticised by the opposition for failing to inform local parties about the details of his proposal, a main aspect of his presidential campaign, before presenting it to the EU.