President’s Strasbourg visit achieved momentum

Nicosia believes President Nikos Christodoulides’ contacts at the European Parliament in Strasbourg yielded positive results, especially support for a more active EU involvement in Cyprus talks.

Information suggests that action is being taken aiming at the resumption of the negotiating process.

The Cyprus News Agency said that during his meetings on Tuesday with political groups, Christodoulides elaborated on his proposal to connect EU-Turkish relations with the Cyprus problem.

Christodoulides feels encouraged by the response of his interlocutors.

He aims to secure MEPs’ support since the European Parliament must approve some of the EU’s incentives that could be given to Turkey.

Christodoulides attended a working lunch with the President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber and met the President of Renew Europe, Stéphane Séjourné, and the Vice President of the Socialists and Democrats, Pedro Marques.

During his meetings, President Christodoulides underlined the need for the EU to acquire a central role in the Southern Neighbourhood – the Middle East and the Gulf region.

President Christodoulides will inform the UN about the results of his meetings in Strasbourg to coordinate the next steps.

Nicosia expects to see how Christodoulides’ proposal can take a concrete form, and deliberations are taking place daily with Brussels, Paris and Berlin.

The NATO Summit in Lithuania on July 11-12, to be attended by Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, is expected to be decisive regarding developments in the Cyprus problem.

The President is in Vienna Wednesday for talks with the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Nehammer.

Nicosia decided that Vienna would be Christodoulides’ next stop on his European tour, after trips to Paris and Berlin, since Austria is reluctant to give incentives to Ankara in the framework of Euro-Turkish relations.