President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, has stressed the commitment of the Greek Cypriot side to the resumption of substantive negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus issue within the agreed framework of the United Nations and the importance of the EU’s more active involvement.
Demetriou was addressing on Friday a working lunch hosted by the Ambassador of Ireland to Cyprus, Sarah Hamilton, for the heads of diplomatic missions of the European Union member states in the context of the current Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
According to a press release issued by the Parliament, Demetriou stressed the particular importance for Cyprus of the commitment of the President of the European Commission to defend every inch of European territory.
She recalled that more than 52 years after the Turkish invasion against Cyprus, part of the Republic of Cyprus is still under occupation, while Turkey insists on promoting a two-state solution, in violation of the international law and the agreed framework for a solution.
Moreover, Demetriou stressed the importance of the more active involvement of the EU and the role of the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, Raffaele Fitto, in support of the process of resolving the Cyprus problem under the auspices of the United Nations.
She also referred to the efforts made on the sidelines of this year’s UN General Assembly in New York to hold a trilateral meeting between the UN Secretary General and the two leaders, which, were unsuccessful due to Turkey’s refusal, and reaffirmed the commitment of the Greek Cypriot side to the resumption of substantive negotiations for a solution within the agreed framework of the United Nations.
As regards the deepening of EU-Turkey relations, including the update of the Customs Union and cooperation in the fields of security, defence and industry, Demetriou underlined that it cannot be disconnected from the fulfillment of Turkey’s obligations towards Cyprus.
Referring to energy security, Demetriou highlighted the strategic importance of the Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnection through the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) for lifting Cyprus’ energy isolation and strengthening security of supply, and underlined the need for European support for the implementation of the project.
The House Speaker welcomed the priorities of the Irish EU Presidency in the areas of competitiveness, values and security, noting that they are interrelated goals that serve European integration, international law and multilateralism.
Furthermore, she referred to challenges such as AI, and underlined that the EU must strengthen investment and innovation in the field of artificial intelligence and address the risks arising from its rapid development. In this context, she referred to the impact of social media on public debate, placing particular emphasis on sexist attacks and the online targeting of women participating in political life.
Concluding, Demetriou highlighted the need to find effective responses to the daily concerns of European citizens.
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.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.