President Nikos Christodoulides met newly appointed EU envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto at the presidential palace in Nicosia on Friday.
Fitto had arrived on the island on Thursday and is expected to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman later in the day.
Speaking after his meeting with the president, Fitto reiterated the EU will to participate “with an important role in the UN process on the Cyprus issue.”
“It is very important for us to contribute positively to the process,” he said.
He emphasised that it was very important for him to listen to the positions and said that he would return to Cyprus in the coming months, adding that he believed that there was an opportunity to achieve “very significant results” in the coming months.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos described the meeting as “very constructive and important.”
He said a central part it was the discussion on how to further proceed with those involved, emphasising that the timing of the meeting just days after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ visit to the island was particularly crucial.
“Our position has been from the beginning that the European Union has an important role to play for progress on the Cyprus problem. Euro-Turkish relations is an issue that can act as leverage over Turkey. We remain firm supporters of this effort, both within the European Union and at the level of the United Nations,” he said.
Asked whether Fittos further plans would include a visit to Turkey, he said that the latter was “planning his next steps.”
“I think we can all understand that a vice-president of the commission also has points of contact with Turkey, which have existed for some time,” he said.
When asked whether the expiration of Guterres’ term by the end of the year would allow for positive results, Kombos expressed optimism.
“There is the will, which was expressed by both the UNSG and the EU, with some very important moves that may be made and bring a positive result. (…) In any case, what matters to us is that there is constant mobility and progress,” he said.
He said that, given the ongoing exchange of ideas and proposals, there is a possibility of progress.
“We are working to create the conditions to make this progress. To a great extent, However, the answer to all these questions lies in Turkey,”
European Commission cohesion commissioner Maciej Berestecki on Thursday underlined the EU’s commitment to the resolution of the Cyprus problem.
“The EU is firmly committed to the reunification of Cyprus on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation and in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, as well as in accordance with EU principles, values and law,” he said.
He too said that the Commission was “ready to play an active role in this process with all the means and tools at our disposal, and we are also ready to participate in all relevant meetings.”
“[Fitto will] contribute to the resolution process within the UN framework, in close cooperation with the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, and will also cooperate with all relevant stakeholders and interlocutors to prepare the ground for the resumption of negotiations aimed at a comprehensive and lasting solution for all of Cyprus,” he said.
Fitto’s visit comes two days after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ first visit to the island during which he met with both leaders, announcing plans for an new enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem.
