Christodoulides says Appointment of Hahn to Cyprus Problem Discussion an ‘Important Step’
The decision by the President of the European Commission to appoint Johannes Hahn as EU Special Envoy for Cyprus is an important step in the efforts to resolve the national problem, President Nikos Christodoulides said in an article in Sunday’s “Phileleftheros” newspaper.
The president described the decision as “an act of substantial political significance and strong symbolism” that confirms the EU’s decision to play “an active, substantial, and leading role” in the effort to resume talks.
Christodoulides added that his belief that “the accession of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union has been our country’s greatest diplomatic achievement since its founding” and can act as a catalyst for a sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem.
Another important development is the linking of the Cyprus issue with Euro-Turkish relations. “We are ready to support progress in Euro-Turkish relations, provided that this is accompanied by concrete steps on the Cyprus issue,” he said.
Special mention is made of the complementary action of the EU and the UN. “The two institutions are working in a complementary manner, supporting the major effort to resume talks with a view to a functional and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem” the President says.
“Undoubtedly, the presence of the European Union’s Special Envoy will significantly strengthen the overall effort to resume negotiations, particularly in view of the multilateral conference in July,” he added.
Concluding, the president saidthat “Cyprus is part of Europe and Europe today is responding with determination to its role,” working with the United Nations and the international community for the reunification of “its last divided and occupied member state.”
For his part, the Greek Cypriot negotiator, Menelaos Menelaou, said that the Greek Cypriot side is investing in the visit of the UN’s personal envoy, despite the obstacles that remain due to the positions of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot sides, in an interview published in Sunday’s “Haravgi” newspaper.
Asked about the latest developments regarding Holguin’s arrival in Cyprus, Menelaou said that her appointment “is another very important step in the effort we are making”, adding that, as decided at the expanded meeting in Geneva, her mission will be to prepare the next steps following on from those taken during the previous period of the mission from January to the summer of 2024, with the main goal of the effort being “to lead to the revitalization of the Cyprus talks process.”
He further noted that at the end of July, there will be another important milestone in the sense that it has been decided that a further expanded meeting will be held under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, with the same composition as the previous one. “For us, deadlock or failure of this effort is not an option. Our expectation is that the effort will continue and lead to further steps and results that will bring us closer to the resumption of talks,” he added.
Source: Cyprus Mail
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