Contacts on EU involvement for Cyprus problem continue

The government is continuing its diplomatic contacts to highlight the benefits of implementing the President’s proposal for a more active EU involvement in the Cyprus problem, government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Saturday.

Addressing a conference on the upcoming Turkish elections organised by the Press and Information Office and the department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies of the University of Cyprus, Letymbiotis said that “the elections in Turkey are a de facto milestone for our intensive efforts for the immediate resumption of negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem”.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the event, the spokesperson added “the president will be visiting in the immediate future EU member states to further present his proposal and how it can make a decisive contribution to breaking the deadlock.”

He noted that following Christodoulides’ presentation of the proposal in Brussels, diplomatic contacts are continuing as part of his efforts to highlight the benefits and incentives that the EU can provide that will lead to a mutually beneficial state of affairs.

He also said that the aim of the president’s proposal is to convince both Turkish Cypriots and Turkey as well as the EU that through a more active EU engagement a mutually beneficial situation can be achieved for both parties.

Letymbiotis also said that the aim of Cyprus’ accession to the EU was to make a decisive contribution to the solution of the Cyprus problem, noting that Turkish Cypriots are enjoying benefits from the EU since the country’s accession.

He added that through the president’s effort and his public statements in terms of cultivating a positive agenda, it would be possible to break the deadlock on the Cyprus problem and resume the talks from where they had stopped.