Ankara, Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and three members of the European Commission said late on Wednesday they support a new initiative by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres aimed at resuming talks on the Cyprus problem. The joint statement followed meetings in Ankara ahead of next week’s Nato leaders’ summit in the Turkish capital.
Joint statement in Ankara
The statement was signed by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, and Internal Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner after they travelled to Ankara.
According to the statement, the four discussed relations between the EU and Turkey “in a global perspective” and highlighted Turkey’s status as a candidate for accession to the bloc, as well as the “strategic value” of EU-Turkey relations “in promoting regional stability and economic resilience in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape”.
Areas of cooperation
The statement said they reviewed issues of common interest including economic and trade cooperation, connectivity, migration, security, and common challenges in foreign and security policy.
It added that they “reaffirmed the shared determination to take steps that would further enhance the cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship in these areas” and “agreed on the importance of regional stability and good neighbourly relations”.
It also said they “voiced support to the efforts [being undertaken] by [Guterres] on the Cyprus issue”.
Broader diplomatic activity
The statement came as efforts intensified on multiple fronts to bring about a resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus problem.
On Tuesday, UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus chief Khassim Diagne met Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Kemal Bozay, while Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos held a telephone call with the United Kingdom’s minister of state for Europe Stephen Doughty.
Upcoming Nato summit
Next week’s Nato summit may also play a role in the increased diplomatic activity. The meeting will be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attended by the leaders of Cyprus’ other two guarantor powers, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
While Cyprus is not expected to top the agenda, the summit will take place as discussions continue over security guarantees in a post-solution Cyprus, centring on the idea of those guarantees being provided through a Nato-based structure.
