Copenhagen: Deputy Minister of European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, briefed her counterparts in Copenhagen on the issue of the illegal detention of five Greek Cypriots by the “authorities” of the illegal regime in the areas of the Republic of Cyprus that are under Turkish occupation.
According to Cyprus News Agency, during the meetings on the sidelines of the informal General Affairs Council in Copenhagen, Raouna discussed the issue, aiming to increase pressure towards the occupation regime to release the detainees. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results, with the latest negotiations in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ending inconclusively.
Before departing from Copenhagen, Raouna held meetings with her counterparts from Ukraine, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and France. According to a post on X, during her meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Taras Kachka, Raouna stated they focused on Ukraine’s accession negotiations with a view to working towards tangible results during Cyprus’s Presidency.
Raouna also posted on X that she and Montenegro’s Minister of European Affairs, Maida Gorcevic, discussed the next steps in the country’s accession negotiations and the concrete progress they aim to achieve during Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2026. The Republic of Cyprus will assume for a second time the Presidency of the Council of the EU on January 1st, 2026, for a period of six months, as part of a Trio Presidency along with Poland and Denmark.