Ankara, Turkey. European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said on Friday she welcomes Turkey’s engagement in UN-led talks on the Cyprus problem after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.
Joint statement after Ankara meeting
Kos made the remarks in a joint statement issued with Fidan, saying she welcomed Turkey’s engagement in the ongoing informal process on Cyprus under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. She also emphasised the importance of pursuing initiatives that build trust.
Link to EU accession and defence cooperation
Earlier in the week, Kos described an opportunity for Turkey to progress its process toward accession to the European Union through a new round of talks aimed at resolving the Cyprus problem. She said any progress is connected to bilateral relations and the new Cyprus settlement talks, adding that she believes there is more that connects the EU and Turkey than divides them.
Kos later said Turkey’s aim to be more deeply involved in Europe’s defence architecture would depend on the stances of EU member states, and said the new Cyprus settlement talks are an opportunity for improvements in this area.
Next steps and UN process
Turkey’s next direct involvement in the Cyprus problem is expected to come at an enlarged meeting involving the island’s two sides, the United Nations, and Turkey alongside the other two guarantor powers, Greece and the United Kingdom. No date has been set.
A tripartite meeting involving President Nikos Christodoulides, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman and UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin held last week ended without agreements.
Holguin said no enlarged meeting could be held before results on confidence-building measures between the two sides are achieved. She said she is waiting for something more and, asked whether Christodoulides and Erhurman had responded to her demand for more progress, said she thinks they might, but not yet.
What confidence-building measures do you think could help create momentum toward an enlarged Cyprus meeting?
