President Christodoulides presented his proposal for a more active involvement of the EU in efforts to restart negotiations, during the summit of the European People's Party leaders which was held on Thursday morning, before the start of the European Council, according to a written statement by government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis. In his intervention, Christodoulides referred to his initiative for a more active involvement of the EU in efforts to end the deadlock and for the immediate resumption of negotiations within the agreed framework, according to Letymbiotis. The President welcomed the inclusion of a reference in the draft text of the conclusions on the Cyprus problem and the active role that the EU can play, "at all stages" and "with all the means at its disposal", the government spokesman added. Letymbiotis added that the leaders attending the EPP Summit expressed in a joint statement 'their clear support for the President's initiative for a more active EU engagement, including the appointment of a political figure, and called on the EU to seize the momentum by taking a more active role in efforts to break the deadlock and for the immediate resumption of negotiations, within the agreed framework, in line with the Security Council resolutions, EU principles and values and the European acquis". Following the EPP summit, Christodoulides had a bilateral meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The two exchanged views on efforts being made to resume negotiations, with the President thanking the Italian prime minister for her support towards the inclusion of wording on the Cyprus Problem in the draft conclusions. Also, the statement said, "the two leaders discussed energy issues, in particular the prospects for the Eastern Mediterranean and their importance for the EU, taking into account ENI's activity in the region", and discussed ways to "further strengthen bilateral relations between Cyprus and Italy, the handling of migration, developments in our region and the strengthening of the MED-5 and MED-9 groups." Finally, before the European Council summit, President Christodoulides attended a working lunch of the EU's leaders with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during which they discussed EU - NATO relations, the upcoming NATO Summit in Lithuania and developments in Ukraine following the illegal Russian invasion.
Source: Cyprus News Agency