The options paper on how the European Union could respond to Turkey’s and the Turkish Cypriot leadership’s unilateral acts regarding the fenced off area of Varosha in Famagusta is currently being developed, a European senior official told journalists on Friday, ahead of Monday’s meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
The official said that the options paper will cover different possibilities and that its different parts have not yet been finalised, but that it is expected to be brought to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the next Foreign Affairs Council in December.
Between now and then, there will be a series of consultations between the member states and between member states and the European External Action Service regarding the drafting of the paper.
The European official reiterated the EU’s concerns about the unilateral actions in Varosha, which were also condemned by the UN.
He added that the main priority of the EU is that there be progress towards restarting negotiations to solve the Cyprus Problem, for the benefit of its people and the Eastern Mediterranean, and noted that the UN will act within its capacity towards achieving this.
Responding to a question on why the options paper will not be on the table during this meeting and whether there are difficulties and disagreements, the official pointed out that what is important is that there is a process underway.
The Commission will go to the member states, discuss the options paper and which options they agree or disagree with, the official added, pointing out that the paper will be ready on the Foreign Affairs Council’s table in December.
Ideally, the official said, the discussion of the Ministers in December will be informed by the ongoing technocratic discussion which will take place on several levels, including between the 27 ambassadors of the member states in COREPER.
The official reiterated that the EU focuses on the dangers that the situation in Varosha poses for that goal which is most important, the return to a negotiation process, and noted that the other member states have expressed their solidarity to Cyprus.
The agenda of Monday’s meeting is focused on the Western Balkans and the Sahel region. Ministers will also meet with their Eastern Partnership counterparts.
The issue of Varosha will be discussed under the current affairs heading, together with the situation on the border with Belarus, the conflict in Ethiopia and developments in Sudan.
Source: Cyprus News Agency