Turkey’s ruling AK Party’s spokesman Omer Celik has said discussions on the Cyprus problem must take place “on the basis of diplomacy and the United Nations’ parameters”, as he reacted to European Commission envoy Raffaele Fitto’s visit to the island.

“Regarding the European Union’s appointment of a new representative on the Cypurs issue, unfortunately, the EU is dealing with a matter which does not actually concern it,” he said.

He added that “despite the fact that the Turkish Cypriot side said yes and the Greek Cypriot side said no at the Burgenstock summit, and despite the principle that a country cannot become a member of the European Union without resolving its border issues, the EU admitted the Greek Cypriot side in the south”.

The Burgenstock summit was the final round of negotiations in 2004 ahead of the Annan plan referendum, which saw a model for the reunification of Cyprus which was brokered by late UN secretary-general Kofi Annan accepted by the Turkish Cypriot electorate and rejected by the Greek Cypriot electorate.

Celik argued that in allowing the Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus to join the bloc without first reunifying the island, “the EU actually created the beginning of today’s major problems”.

“Therefore, it has lost its neutrality and has taken a step which initiated these problems. There is nothing more it can solve by appointing a special representative. Therefore, these issues will continue to be discussed on the basis of diplomacy and the United Nations’ parameters,” he said.

Celik’s statement of support for the UN’s parameters comes after incumbent UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had confirmed during his visit to the island that a “consensus” had been reached among the three guarantor powers, Turkey, Greece, and the United Kingdom, for a new enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem to be held.

Such a meeting, he said, will be convened “after adequate progress” is achieved on the matters of confidence-building measures, the meeting’s methodology, and the substance of the talks, and to this end, he said that he counts “on the continued support of the three guarantors”.

Prior to his arrival on the island, Guterres had held a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, while Fidan had met UN Cyprus problem envoy Maria Angela Holguin last week.

Additionally, last month, Fidan, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, and Internal Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner signed a joint declaration offering his support for Guterres’ efforts in Cyprus.