Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides, both European Union (EU) members, have shown a united front on welcoming Turkey-EU talks.
The leaders made their statements during a press conference after their meeting on Monday at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus.
According to Ekathimerini, both Mitsotakis and Christodoulides said they would re-engage with Turkey, but it would be “gradual” and “reversible” if required.
“Those two words should guide us. We can be optimistic, but we are not naive,” Mitsotakis said.
Ευχαριστώ τον Πρόεδρο της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας @christodulides για τη θερμή υποδοχή. Η Κύπρος υπήρξε εξαρχής συμπαραστάτης μας στη μάχη με τις πυρκαγιές και θέλω να μεταφέρω και πάλι τις θερμές μου ευχαριστίες, αλλά και ολόκληρου του ελληνικού λαού. https://t.co/n6D5OZoVm2 pic.twitter.com/2ZMe2fwZNb
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) July 31, 2023
Division between Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations are an ongoing friction in Cyprus.
For the past two decades, Turkey has been a candidate for EU membership. However, Turkey has continued to advocate for a two-state Cyprus solution, which has been condemned by the EU, Greece and other countries.
“Any partitionist thoughts of two states is completely off any agenda of discussion, and I want to be very clear on that,” Mitsotakis said.
President Christodoulides said re-engaging talks with Turkey also includes “positive moves” over the Cyprus problem.
Source: Ekathimerini
