President Christodoulides appeared, emphasizing that the European Union sent a positive message towards Ankara, and he was satisfied with the outcome of the discussion and the content of the Conclusions regarding Turkey.
In his statements, President Christodoulides, attending the second day of the Summit’s proceedings, expressed his satisfaction with the results of the strategic discussion held on Turkey. The President mentioned that “from the beginning, we set a goal, the substantive connection of Euro-Turkish relations with the Cyprus issue, which is clearly evident in the Conclusions and the discussion held.”
Continuing, President Christodoulides underscored that “we deliberately sent a message to Turkey, a positive message,” the realisation of which “depends on specific positive developments in Euro-Turkish relations and progress in Cyprus.”
Nikos Christodoulides referred to a significant juncture, taking into account the efforts made by the UN Secretary-General to resume negotiations.
Furthermore, President Christodoulides expressed gratitude to all leaders participating in the discussion, “first and foremost, the Prime Minister of Greece,” as well as “the President of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Italy, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands,” and also the President of the Council and the President of the Commission.
According to Christodoulides, through their interventions, they clarified “this connection and recognised the constructive role of the Republic of Cyprus and the current need for Turkey, if it desires this positive message to be translated into specific actions, to proceed with the necessary steps in Cyprus.”
Referring to the discussion on developments in the Middle East, President Christodoulides said that “beyond the general message of avoiding exacerbation of the situation, it was important that the position of the Republic of Cyprus, the position to reconsider the status for specific areas of Syria, was greeted and supported by a significant number of states.”
He mentioned Denmark, Austria, Italy, and Greece as examples. He added that the Institutions also view this dimension positively “and the need, after 14 years, to re-examine this status, something that will have a substantial positive impact on addressing migration.”
The President mentioned that he and Ursula von der Leyen informed about Lebanon and their upcoming visit on 2nd May, during which a specific economic support package for the country will be announced, addressing both migration and the multiple challenges the neighbouring country faces.
Furthermore, he mentioned that Charles Michel, during his intervention, said that before the end of his term, he plans to organise a special EU summit with the Arab states of the region, and one of the issues to be addressed will be the status of Syria.
