Christodoulides updates EU chiefs after Turkey dinner, Cyprus link stressed

Politics Cyprus problemeuEuropean UnionNikos ChristodoulidesTop NewsturkeyUrsula Von der Leyen Christodoulides updates EU chiefs after Turkey dinner, Cyprus link stressed Christodoulides Updates Eu Chiefs After Turkey Dinner, Cyprus Link Stressed Relevant News Christodoulides updates EU chiefs after Turkey dinner, Cyprus link stressed 9 July 2026 Resolution on 1974 sexual violence ensures victims are heard, MEP says 9 July 2026 Overnight pharmacies on Thursday, July 9 9 July 2026 Newsroom 9 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber President Nikos Christodoulides held phone calls this morning with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, discussing last night’s dinner with the Turkish President and Turkish Foreign Minister. Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis told reporters at the Presidential Palace that the European Commission and European Council have clearly communicated that any progress Turkey wants to see in its relations with the EU is directly linked to progress on the Cyprus problem. Letymbiotis said this interest was also reflected in statements from Turkish officials themselves regarding EU-Turkey relations, adding that progress on the issues Turkey has raised would require Turkey to show constructive and decisive will towards progress on the Cyprus problem. He said this position is shared and communicated by all 27 EU member states and the bloc’s institutions, and has been from the outset. Asked about the response from the Turkish President and Foreign Minister, Letymbiotis said EU-Turkey contact at all levels would continue, adding that Turkey appears interested in progress on specific chapters that are already well understood. He said the clarity of this message had been reinforced through last week’s meeting involving the High Representative and two Commissioners, and even more so through the European Council President, the Commission President, the European Council’s conclusions, related announcements, and a joint letter from the Commission President and Council President. The spokesperson also stressed the importance of close EU-UN cooperation, saying the European Council President and Commission President have made clear the EU’s support and readiness to assist the UN Secretary-General’s efforts. He said this was reflected in a joint statement issued this morning, as well as by the Secretary-General himself and his personal envoy, regarding the role the EU can play in support of that process. Asked whether the Turkish President expects the EU to make the first move to shift Ankara’s stance, Letymbiotis said he could not speak to Erdogan’s views, but added that if Turkey genuinely wants progress on the issues it raises with such emphasis, progress on the Cyprus problem would need to come first. Asked whether Turkey’s support for the Guterres initiative was reaffirmed, as recorded in the joint communiqué from the meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Letymbiotis pointed to the recorded joint statement from Fidan, the High Representative and the two Commissioners referencing support for the UN Secretary-General’s efforts, adding that this would be demonstrated in practice. He said rhetoric would need to translate into substantive intent, something that would be shown through the convening of an informal multilateral conference. He repeated that it is Turkey that is expected to concede and soften its own intransigence at that conference, held under the UN Secretary-General, with the aim of announcing a resumption of negotiations within the agreed framework. Asked whether this would be sufficient grounds for Nicosia to lift its own objections to Turkey’s demands, Letymbiotis said the EU-Turkey relationship and its link to the Cyprus problem are governed by a specific framework that President Christodoulides has worked systematically to establish since taking office. He said this framework, adopted unanimously by the 27 EU leaders, sets out a gradual, proportionate and reversible approach linking progress in EU-Turkey relations to simultaneous progress on the Cyprus problem. Letymbiotis said convening a multilateral conference is not an end in itself, but must lead to the resumption of substantive negotiations aimed ultimately at a definitive resolution of the Cyprus problem. He said Cyprus is ready and has said publicly, as the President himself has stated, that concrete steps in EU-Turkey relations can now be taken. Read more: Christodoulides, von der Leyen to meet in Paris on Cyprus problem and EU-Turkey relations Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Resolution on 1974 sexual violence ensures victims are heard, MEP says Overnight pharmacies on Thursday, July 9 Athalassa’s psychiatric hospital faces severe overcrowding MPs hear that some welfare recipients spend benefit at casinos, betting shops No safe predictions for fuel prices amid Iran war uncertainty, consumer protection chief says EU opens three infringement cases against Cyprus over money laundering, tax and fraud rules Medicover Genetics showcases impact of research and innovation to EU Commission and Ministry of Finance Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.