For Nicosia – as diplomatic circles underline – the text of the European Council conclusions is sufficiently clear and offers the opportunity for Turkey to make gestures on the Cyprus issue. And the Turkish gestures on the Cyprus issue (at least as Nicosia reads the conclusions) will have an effect in Euro-Turkish terms.
A series of events in the immediate future, in May, are expected to demonstrate the Turkish side’s intentions both on the Cyprus issue and in terms of improving its relations with the EU. Important milestones in this direction will be María Ángela Holguin Cuéllar’s third trip to Cyprus and the trips of the Prime Minister of Greece and the President of Germany to Ankara.
Diplomatic circles told Phileleftheros that the UN Secretary General’s envoy is expected in Cyprus during the first ten days of May when she will have meetings with the two leaders on the island. This will be preceded by her contacts in Berlin, Paris and Brussels. Nicosia believes that Holguin’s contacts in the three European capitals will give a clear indication of what the European Union expects from Turkey. From there, Nicosia hopes that these messages will also be passed on to the Turkish side on how to proceed on the Cyprus issue.
The upcoming visits of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and German President Steinmeier to Turkey are two more opportunities to convey messages to the Turkish government regarding both the Euro-Turkish and Cyprus issues.
Regarding Turkey’s reaction to the Conclusions, the same diplomatic circles said that Ankara wanted the Borel report to be adopted without any conditions, but the European Council’s response to the Conclusions is that Turkey is not given a blank cheque and that it must comply with some obligations, some of which are also Cyprus-related.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letibiotis, while briefing the political editors, said that the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union sent a specific, “positive message” to the Turkish side, “that we are, we want to be constructive and there can be progress on the points, on the chapters that are of interest to Turkey, as long as there is corresponding progress on the Cyprus problem”.
