Brussels ready to act on Cyprus talks push

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underlined that Brussels is ready to play an active role in supporting all stages of resuming UN-led Cyprus talks.

This pledge was made during her meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides in New York.

“We discussed the resumption of the UN-led Cyprus settlement negotiations, crucial for building trust and confidence between communities.

“The European Commission is ready to play an active role in supporting all stages of the process,” von der Leyen posted on social media.

According to CAN, von der Leyen told Christodoulides that she would have a telephone conversation with the UN chief Antonio Guterres to tell him the EU supports the appointment of a UN envoy to kick-start the process.

Moreover, according to what was said during the meeting, EU-Turkey relations will be an issue on the agenda of the European Council in December and not the one in October, so time is given to have progress on Cyprus negotiations.

According to sources, von der Leyen said the EU Commission coordinates with France and Germany and noted Turkey’s aim to disconnect Greco-Turkish relations from the Cyprus problem is not accepted by the EU.

“Greece does not also accept this, and it is important to put this forward during the meeting which Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will have with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday in New York,” a diplomatic source said.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis posted on social media that President Christodoulides is in close coordination with EU partners during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week “on our joint efforts for the resumption of negotiations”.

He added that Christodoulides had a “productive discussion” with von der Leyen on the next steps, the EU’s involvement in the resumption of efforts and the priority of appointing a UN envoy.

The last round of UN-backed negotiations collapsed in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana.