President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday that there will be announcements from the European Commission regarding the appointment of a new EU envoy for the Cyprus issue.
In his doorstep statements upon his arrival for the European Council meeting in Brussels, and asked by a journalist on the matter, President Christodoulides said that ‘we will have a new appointment by the European Commission.’
‘We discussed some names today, following previous discussions, and very soon the President of the Commission, after completing the necessary internal procedures, will proceed with announcements,’ he said.
In response to another question regarding his earlier meeting on Thursday with the President of the European Council, António Costa, President Christodoulides said they discussed three matters.
He said they discussed the results of the Presidency and that Costa conveyed congratulations for the fact that a small member state proved in practice that it can deliver very significant results.
The second issue was the Republic of Cyprus becoming a full Schengen member. ‘We are expecting, we have completed all the preparatory work, very soon to have the political decision, so that our country can become a full member of the Schengen area,’ he said.
He noted that the third issue was the Cyprus problem, with the President of the Council informing him about two telephone conversations he had recently with the UN Secretary-General, ‘during which he conveyed the clear message that any progress in EU-Turkey relations presupposes Turkey fulfilling its European obligations, including of course its Cyprus-related obligations’.
‘There is a desire from the European Union to see progress in EU-Turkey relations. This depends exclusively on Turkey, starting from the Cyprus issue,’ he added, expressing satisfaction that there was cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union. ‘This dialogue will continue so that conditions are created to move to an expanded meeting, during which the resumption of talks will be announced,’ he said.
In his opening doorstep remarks, while referring to the achievements of the Cyprus EU Presidency and the country’s upgraded standing, he said these further strengthen both internal and external factors of national power. ‘They help us address internal challenges and at the same time strengthen our diplomatic tools regarding our number one priority, which is the resolution of the Cyprus problem and the role the European Union can play,’ he said.
He noted that he had ‘a very good meeting with the President of the European Council’ and that he had the opportunity to speak earlier with the President of the European Commission on the sidelines of the European People’s Party meeting. ‘I am pleased because she is in constant contact with the United Nations, with the UN Secretary-General, whose personal envoy will visit Brussels around the end of June,’ he added.
‘The European Union is here, the European Union is present to play a leading role in the resolution of the Cyprus problem,’ President Christodoulides said.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format that was expected to take place before the end of 2025, is yet to be announced. María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.