Alden Biesen, Belgium. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to brief Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday on the content of his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to reports. The two leaders are due to meet on the sidelines of an informal European leaders’ retreat at the Alden Biesen castle.
Meeting in Belgium follows Ankara talks
The Cyprus News Agency reported that Mitsotakis and Christodoulides will convene during the retreat in eastern Belgium. Mitsotakis met Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday and told him there was a “window of opportunity” to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.
Erdogan cites discussions on Aegean and eastern Mediterranean
Erdogan did not directly refer to the Cyprus problem, but said he and Mitsotakis had “openly discussed our positions on the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean”.
He said that while the issues are complex, they are not insurmountable under international law and require good faith. Erdogan said he and Mitsotakis agreed that issues must be resolved on the basis of the law and expressed belief that relations would make progress towards a solution.
EU enlargement commissioner links Cyprus talks and EU-Turkey progress
The developments follow comments last week by European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who said she welcomes Turkey’s “engagement” in talks regarding the Cyprus problem after a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara.
Kos said there was an “opportunity” for Turkey to progress its process towards EU accession through Cyprus problem talks. She added that progress is connected to bilateral relations as well as new Cyprus settlement talks and described it as a “big opportunity” to continue, saying there is more connecting the EU and Turkey than dividing them.
Defence cooperation tied to member state stances and settlement talks
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 that new Cyprus settlement talks are a great opportunity for improvements in this area.
What do you think the briefing between Mitsotakis and Christodoulides could mean for the next steps on the Cyprus problem?