President-elect Nikos Christodoulides said he would promote in Brussels his proposal for more hands-on EU involvement in efforts to reunify Cyprus.
“I am talking about the need for a more active and greater involvement of the EU within the UN framework.”
Christodoulides had a 30-minute meeting on Monday at the Presidential Palace with outgoing President Nicos Anastasiades.
He is close to finalising his decision on his new cabinet.
His first contacts on this issue concerned mostly people who will work with him at the Presidential Palace.
Anastasiades briefed him on pending issues of domestic governance – labour and economic issues- and the Cyprus problem.
Christodoulides said they did not discuss the make-up of his new government, which he promised would be gender-balanced and sprinkled with youth.
He also contacted Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar to discuss the need to end the current state of affairs, “which benefits neither Greek Cypriots nor Turkish Cypriots”.
He expressed his readiness to meet with Tatar even before he becomes president on 1 March “to see how we can break this deadlock”.
Christodoulides said the issue was discussed during telephone conversations with EU heads of state or government.
“We consider that the proposal we submitted during the presidential campaign can end the deadlock the soonest possible, even though things will not be easy”.
The diplomat does not fully endorse the opinion that things should wait until the elections in Turkey.
“As time passes, this is not to the benefit of efforts to find a breakthrough”.
Christodoulides said he will participate in the European Council, scheduled to take place on 23 March, and may need to travel to Brussels sooner to discuss his proposal.
He said he would contact the UN within the next few days.
Asked about his contacts with US officials, Christodoulides said that he had had discussions with officials of the US administration whom he already knows from his previous posts, while new contacts will also take place.
The new president’s first trip abroad “will certainly be to Athens after the swearing-in ceremony.
“The cooperation between Athens and Nicosia is excellent, but this does not mean that it cannot be further enhanced”.
