Nicosia, Cyprus. House President Annita Demetriou on Monday called for a stronger and more structured role for the European Union in efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. In a letter to European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber, she said the issue has entered a phase of cautious but meaningful diplomatic movement.
Letter to Weber
Demetriou, whose party Disy belongs to the European People’s Party, referred in her letter to the current round of contacts being undertaken by United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin.
She wrote that the effort deserves more political support because it offers the best available path for creating the conditions for a more substantive next step. She added that the development remains fragile and that the political distance between the parties remains substantial.
Comments on Turkey and the current phase
Demetriou said Turkey is continuing to publicly advocate a two-state solution, although its public stance has softened from where it had been before the election of Tufan Erhurman as Turkish Cypriot leader last year.
In his most recent public intervention on the Cyprus problem, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said only that there are two states on the island, without expressly stating that he wants a two-state solution. Sources have also told the Cyprus Mail that he has approved the new initiative being undertaken by the United Nations.
Call for continued EU engagement
Demetriou said a stronger and more structured European role is both necessary and timely, and described the appointment of Johannes Hahn as the EU’s envoy for the Cyprus problem as a welcome and important step.
She said his resignation in March should not result in a lapse of European engagement and that the present phase of renewed UN diplomacy makes the need for continuity even stronger.
Request for support
Demetriou said she would be grateful for Weber’s support in expressing clear backing for the current UN-led process and for Holguin’s efforts to reconvene an informal five-plus-one meeting.
She also asked for his support in promoting, within the EPP family and with the European institutions, the appointment of a renewed dedicated EU representative for Cyprus.
According to Demetriou, such a representative should operate in a manner complementary to the efforts of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Holguin.