Christodoulides ‘ready’ for enlarged meeting – ‘everything depends on Turkey’

President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday stressed that he is ready to attend an enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem as soon as this summer but said that the possibility of such a meeting being convened depends on Turkey. “From our side, we are ready, we have conveyed our readiness to the United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres. You understand that everything depends on Turkey’s reaction,” he said upon his arrival at the Makedonitissa tomb, a war memorial in the west of Nicosia, which he was visiting to mark the anniversary of Turkey’s invasion. He said that “the relevant processes are continuing” on the part of both Guterres and his envoy Maria Angela Holguin, as well as on the part of the European Union, “which is proving with actions [that it is undertaking] a more leading role”. “We hope that when the secretary-general is here, there will be positive announcements,” he said, before going on to say that Guterres has “launched a very important effort since March”. This effort, he said, has been undertaken “on the basis of some discussions he had with the president of Turkey [Recep Tayyip Erdogan], with the Turkish government, and we hope to see this in practice”. (Photo: Christos Theodorides) Asked if “pressure” on Turkey has intensified in recent months, he said that “it is not a matter of pressure”, before adding that Holguin will visit Turkey before her next return to Cyprus, “and based on the results of all these efforts, we will see what will come out of the secretary-general’s presence”. On the matter of EU envoy Raffaele Fitto possibly visiting Cyprus soon, he said that “I do not rule out that, based on his schedule, he may visit Cyprus at any time”. “We welcome this enhanced involvement on the European Union’s part. It was something we sought from the first day we took over the governance of the country. The appointment of an executive vice president of the commission shows an increased interest on the commission’s president [Ursula von der Leyen]’s part,” he said. To this end, he said that “the presence of the European Union is decisive in two aspects”, as firstly, “developments in the context of relations between Turkey and Europe, which Turkey also seeks, must pass through positive, specific developments regarding the resolution of the Cyprus problem”. Secondly, he said, there is “the need for any possible solution to the Cyprus problem to be consistent with the European acquis communautaire, with the principles and values of the European Union”. “The Republic of Cyprus is a member state. It will continue to be so even after a possible solution, so the European Union has a role to play,” he said. Asked about Erdogan deciding not to travel to Cyprus for this year’s July 20 commemorations, he said that the decision “does not change anything”. “Erdogan will not come. Someone else will come to represent Erdogan, possibly the vice president or a minister. I do not know at this time, but nothing has changed in relation to Turkey’s crime here in Cyprus for 52 years,” he said. Speaking of the day itself, Christodoulides said that “today is a difficult day, and certainly not for many words”. “What I would like to say is that our heroes here at the Tomb of Makedonitissa, but also wherever else they may rest around Cyprus, in the prison, in all areas of free and occupied Cyprus, define the duty, the responsibility of all of us who are currently in the leadership of this country,” he said. He added that those in positions of power must “do everything possible to end the Turkish occupation, to liberate our country, to unite our homeland”. “This will also be the memorial service for all those who sacrificed so that we could exist today, and in this direction, we are working systematically on the basis of a very specific plan and design, so that we can achieve our number one priority, which is the end of the occupation, the liberation, and the reunification of our homeland,” he said.