Diko leader Nicholas Papadopoulos on Monday called for the European Union to undertake a greater role in efforts to bring about a resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus problem after he attended the National Council meeting.

“Europe, within the framework of discussions concerning matters between Europe and Turkey, can also pressure Turkey and provide the necessary incentives so that the Turkish side approaches these discussions with a constructive attitude and with the hope of retreating from its intransigent positions which hinder the resumption of negotiations,” he said.

As such, he said, Diko and other parties in parliament “must undertake our own initiatives at the European level so as to push in this direction”, while also “combining our efforts together to support” President Nikos Christodoulides’ efforts to bring about a resumption of negotiations in earnest.

His comments come after Christodoulides last week said that the EU has “the most decisive role” to play in the current effort being undertaken to bring about a resumption of negotiations in earnest after he met European Council President Antonio Costa.

He linked efforts to solve the Cyprus problem to the government’s six-month term as the holder of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency, which he said has been “universally acclaimed, by all accounts”, and “successful”.

“Within this context, the EU has the most decisive role to play in the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ effort to restart the talks to find a sustainable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem, fully compatible with the principles, values, and law of the EU,” he said.

Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, too, has expressed openness to the idea of the European Union playing a greater role in efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, but stressed that, given the Republic of Cyprus’ membership of the bloc, it cannot act as a mediator.

“Can the European Union support the process in a positive process through its own decision-making mechanisms? The answer is yes, and it should,” he said.

He did, however, say that the EU has “become part of the problem” after it accepted Cyprus as a member state without the Cyprus problem being solved, and added that “after the Annan plan, some of the things it said would happen if the Greek Cypriot side said no did not happen”.