Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s response to an invitation to attend an informal meeting involving EU member states and neighbouring countries in Cyprus in April was not positive. He said Cyprus had sought mediation to avoid receiving a negative reply.
Invitations for April and other meetings
Christodoulides told Greek television channel Skai on Wednesday that he had invited Erdogan to April’s meeting. He said he had also invited Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to attend an informal meeting of European foreign ministers in Limassol.
He added that he had invited Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay, who oversees Turkey’s relations with the EU, to an informal meeting of the Council of the EU’s general affairs council (GAC), which will be held in Cyprus in the coming months.
Mediation efforts and Turkey’s reported reaction
“A bout 24 hours ago, we asked some people to mediate, because our goal was not to send an invitation and get a negative response,” Christodoulides said.
“Our goal is to create positive developments. About 24 hours ago, we were informed that the reaction from Turkey is not positive,” he said.
Earlier comments on Cyprus EU presidency and Turkey
Christodoulides said at the end of last month that he intended to invite Erdogan and Fidan to Cyprus during the island’s six-month term holding the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency. He said that “Turkey is not excluded from the Republic of Cyprus, but Turkey must choose whether to insist on its own self-exclusion”.
“We seek for Turkey to seize the opportunity, in connection with its Cyprus-related obligations,” he said at the time.
Fidan’s remarks on the presidency and EU-Turkey ties
Fidan had said Cyprus’ six-month term “could also be an opportunity for Turkey”.
He said that at present, “the Greek Cypriot administration is placing obstacles in front of Turkey on the international stage”, while expressing hope that this stance may soften in the near future.
“They obstruct us whenever they get the chance. However, I think that in the face of the current threats which Europe is facing, cooperation and relations between the European Union and Turkey have become more meaningful than ever,” he said.
What developments do you expect from Turkey’s response to the Cyprus invitations during the EU presidency term?
