Consultations at a technocratic level with Germany regarding a possible reference text on EU-Turkish relations, which may be incorporated into the conclusions of this or the next summit, are underway, according to the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides.
\nHe made these statements upon his arrival at the European Council on Friday morning.
\nPresident Christodoulides also welcomed the inclusion of a reference to the Cypriot initiative for a maritime corridor to Gaza in the conclusions on the Middle East adopted on Thursday evening.
\nPresident Christodoulides further referred to his meeting with the UN Secretary-General, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, during which they discussed specific next steps on the Cyprus issue.
\nIn this context, the President expressed hope that there would be developments by April that would clarify how close we are to a possible resumption of talks.
\nAsked by CNA about the ongoing discussions following Germany\u2019s proposal to include a paragraph on EU-Turkey relations in the conclusions, the President stated that consultations continue at a technocratic level on the text.
\n\u201cAs I mentioned yesterday, we had a meeting with the three of us, namely the Chancellor of Germany, the President of the Council, and myself. Subsequently, there were consultations at a technocratic level,\u201d Mr Christodoulides noted.
\nLate last night, he continued, \u201cI spoke again with the German Chancellor,\u201d adding that \u201cthese discussions will continue today, and we hope for a positive outcome.\u201d
\n\u201cOur position, I repeat, and I also mentioned this to the German Chancellor, whom I thanked for the increased interest they are showing in Cyprus,\u201d he continued, noting that Germany played a role in the appointment of the UN Secretary-General\u2019s personal envoy and in Turkey\u2019s response.
\n\u201cWe, more than any other member state, want to see positive developments in EU-Turkish relations.\u201d
\nPositive developments, he continued, \u201cthat also go through Cyprus, through a step-by-step approach, an approach that, with an enhanced role of the European Union,\u201d as \u201cthe European Union has the tools,\u201d can lead \u201cto a mutually beneficial situation.\u201d
\n\u201cWe will see today how the ongoing consultations will conclude,\u201d he added.
\nAsked if there is a text, the President said, \u201cWe have been discussing a specific text since last night,\u201d and as he said, \u201cthere is interest from other member states,\u201d \u201cso if there is a common approach among us, something may be put forward at the European Council level.\u201d
\nHe noted that other heads of member states were also approached yesterday, \u201csuch as the French President who is interested in both EU-Turkish relations and Cyprus,\u201d and who requested to be briefed on the consultations with Germany.
\n\u201cLet\u2019s see how things will evolve today, and depending on whether there will be something on the table or in a subsequent Council, we also have the April Council,\u201d President Christodoulides added.
\nIn his statements, he first and foremost praised \u201cyesterday\u2019s inclusion in the European Council conclusions of the Cypriot initiative for the humanitarian corridor to Gaza,\u201d emphasizing that he considers \u201cthe recognition of the efforts of the Republic of Cyprus\u201d not only in the conclusions but also in the interventions made during the discussion as \u201cparticularly important.\u201d
\n\u201cAll heads of states welcomed our country\u2019s initiative, and I believe it is a particularly positive development,\u201d as it highlights the country\u2019s role in the region.
\nThis was something that, he continued, \u201cwas also referred to by the UN Secretary-General in his intervention, both in his public statement and in the private meeting,\u201d adding that he expects even more support from partners for the initiative.
\nRegarding the discussion with the UN Secretary-General, President Christodoulides spoke of \u201ca very good meeting.\u201d
\n\u201cWe are aware of the difficulties, the problems, the challenges, but we also discussed the next, specific steps, and I hope that soon, within April, there will be some developments. Developments that will help us see how close we are to the resumption of talks from where they were interrupted in Crans Montana,\u201d he explained.
\nFinally, commenting on the issue of security and defence, which was also concluded in the conclusions on Thursday, the President spoke of a significant development and expressed his satisfaction \u201cfor the announcement by the President of the Commission that in case of her re-election, she will proceed with the appointment of a Commissioner for Defence.\u201d
\n\u201cIt is an area that falls within the broader framework of the strategic autonomy of the European Union,\u201d he continued, noting that as Cyprus \u201cwe are enthusiastic supporters, and I was pleased yesterday because there was a general understanding of the need for the European Union to further advance in defence and security matters, for all member states to invest more,\u201d and also \u201cto further strengthen the European defence industry.\u201d
\n\u201cAs the European Union, if we want to claim what we all say, the geopolitical role of the European Union,\u201d he continued, highlighting that \u201cthis geopolitical role passes through a strong will and policies, actions to strengthen the defence and security sector.\u201dEU-Turkish relations. consultations, EU-Turkish relations, Cyprus issue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
– Consultations at a technocratic level with Germany regarding a possible reference text on EU-Turkish relations are underway, aiming for inclusion in the conclusions of an upcoming EU summit.
\n– President Nikos Christodoulides made these statements upon his arrival at the European Council.
\n– Christodoulides welcomed the inclusion of a reference to the Cypriot initiative for a maritime corridor to Gaza in the conclusions on the Middle East.
\n– He discussed specific next steps on the Cyprus issue with UN Secretary-General, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, expressing hope for developments by April towards resuming talks.
\n– Ongoing discussions follow Germany’s proposal to include a paragraph on EU-Turkey relations in the summit conclusions.
\n– Christodoulides had meetings with the Chancellor of Germany and the President of the Council, followed by consultations at a technocratic level.
\n– He emphasized the importance of positive developments in EU-Turkish relations that also involve Cyprus, advocating for a step-by-step approach with an enhanced role for the European Union.
\n– Other member states, including France, have shown interest in the consultations regarding EU-Turkey relations and Cyprus.
\n– The Cypriot initiative for a humanitarian corridor to Gaza was praised by all heads of states at the European Council, highlighting Cyprus’s role in the region.
\n– Christodoulides had a productive meeting with the UN Secretary-General, discussing the next steps on the Cyprus issue and hoping for developments within April.
\n– He expressed satisfaction with the European Council’s conclusions on security and defence, including the announcement of appointing a Commissioner for Defence in case of the current President of the Commission’s re-election, emphasizing the importance of advancing in defence and security matters for the EU’s strategic autonomy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[603,2134,1031,1751,648,3,1539,398,1600,379,3039,2404,499,145,308,576,1235,351,1295,1991,899,148,712,1178,1346,2257,69,193,680,2797,1069,2405,503,2342,2244,2184,827,1827,1358,1026,114,177,414,380],"class_list":["post-5135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","tag-autonomy","tag-challenges","tag-christodoulides","tag-consultations","tag-crans-montana","tag-cyprus","tag-cyprus-issue","tag-diplomacy","tag-election","tag-eu","tag-eu-turkish-relations","tag-european-union","tag-france","tag-gaza","tag-geopolitical","tag-germany","tag-humanitarian","tag-humanitarian-corridor","tag-inclusion","tag-industry","tag-interest","tag-local","tag-maritime","tag-maritime-corridor","tag-meeting","tag-meetings","tag-middle-east","tag-nikos-christodoulides","tag-personal-envoy","tag-positive-development","tag-positive-developments","tag-president-christodoulides","tag-president-nikos-christodoulides","tag-re-election","tag-resuming-talks","tag-secretary-generals-personal-envoy","tag-security","tag-statement","tag-support","tag-talks","tag-top-news","tag-turkey","tag-un","tag-us"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n