Cyprus President Nikos Chirstodoulides expressed his satisfaction over the inclusion of a reference to the Cyprus issue in the draft conclusions of the European Council, which will convene on June 29th and 30th. He emphasised that this reference sends messages in all directions. President Christodoulides, who was replying to journalists’ questions on the sidelines of an event for Children’s Day at the Presidential Palace, also said that he would have a series of phone calls with European leaders as part of the consultations for the conclusions. He noted that the European Council is the first of the three milestones implicitly set out in the Government’s efforts to restart the negotiations. As he said, this milestone is followed by the NATO Summit in Lithuania and the United Nations General Assembly. The President expressed his satisfaction that there is a reference to the Cyprus issue in the draft, as the Cyprus issue was not among the topics to be discussed by the European Council. “Because of our initiative, the mobility that we are trying to create through our efforts, our partners have included a specific reference to the Cyprus issue in the draft, which is reinforced each time,” he said. He added that the Summit will take place on Thursday and Friday and that the processes are ongoing. President Christodoulides is strongly advocating for the appointment of an EU envoy that would assist in restarting negotiations for Cyprus problem and has been actively promoting his proposal during his contacts with EU leaders and institutions. “There are contacts at the technocratic level, and I will also have contacts at my level with leaders of other countries before the Summit, so that a positive message about the EU’s readiness can be conveyed,” he noted. He reiterated that the goal is to break the deadlock and resume negotiations. “What we see in the EU, the response we see from our partners and also the decision of the institutions to include a reference to the Cyprus issue, I consider it a positive development, a development that sends messages in all directions,” he said. The latest draft of the conclusions of the next European Council states in a paragraph for Cyprus that: ‘Recalling its previous conclusions, the European Council remains fully committed to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, within the UN framework, and in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded. The European Union will continue to play an active role in supporting the UN negotiation process’. Regarding the NATO Summit, which will take place on July 11-12, the President pointed out that it will be the first one attended by the President of Turkey after his re-election, and within the framework of his presence there, there will be several meetings with European leaders. He added that in these discussions, Europeans will also refer to the Cyprus issue, the need to restart the negotiations, and the role that the EU can play in conjunction with the desire expressed by the Turkish President for progress in EU-Turkey relations. The President added that the results of the initiative of the Cypriot Government would officially start to be reflected with the European Council meeting next week, while expressing hope that they will culminate with the resumption of negotiations. He also noted that within the framework of ongoing consultations, he would also have a series of telephone conversations with European leaders, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of the situation. Regarding the United Nations General Assembly, he stated that there would be a meeting on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus with the UN Secretary-General “to convey our own messages privately and to see how we can achieve this goal in cooperation.” When asked about statements made by the Turkish Cypriot leader that efforts are being made to open the crossing point in Mia Milia, the President said that such a request has not been brought before the Government for examination. 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. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively
Source: Cyprus News Agency