EU commissioner ‘welcomes Turkey’s engagement’ in Cyprus talks

European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos on Friday said she “welcomes Turkey’s engagement” in talks regarding the Cyprus problem.

The comment was made as part of a joint statement released by Kos and Fidan after the pair met in Ankara, with Kos said to have “welcomed Turkey’s engagement in the ongoing informal process on Cyprus under the auspices of the UN secretary-general” Antonio Guterres.

She also “emphasised the importance of pursuing initiatives that build trust”.

Those comments come after she had earlier in the week spoken of an “opportunity” for Turkey to progress its process towards accession to the European Union through a new round of talks to resolve the Cyprus problem.

“We know that any progress is connected to bilateral relations, not just Cyprus, but also with the … new Cyprus settlement talks. It is now a big opportunity to continue,” she said, before adding that “there really is more that connects the EU and Turkey than what is dividing us”.

She later said that Turkey’s aim to be more deeply involved in Europe’s defence architecture would depend on the stances of the EU’s member states, and to this end said that “the new Cyprus settlement talks are a great opportunity for improvements in this area”.

Turkey’s next direct involvement in the Cyprus problem will likely come at an enlarged meeting, involving the island’s two sides, the UN and Turkey alongside the island’s other two guarantor powers, Greece and the United Kingdom.

However, a date for such a meeting has not yet been set, with a tripartite meeting involving President Nikos Christodoulides, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman and UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin held last week having ended without any agreements been reached.

Holguin had said after that meeting that no enlarged meeting could be held before “results on the confidence-building measures” between the island’s two sides are achieved.

She went on to say that “I am waiting for something more”, before responding to a question over whether Christodoulides and Erhurman had responded to the demand for more progress she had made on Tuesday by saying “I think they might. Not yet”.

Later, it was reported that Guterres had been “seriously disturbed” by the lack of progress achieved on the Cyprus problem since the previous tripartite meeting, which had taken place last month.

According to the reports, Guterres had “emphasised that the Cypriot leaders must urgently take steps to facilitate life between the two communities” in the form of confidence-building measures.

It was also reported that he had instructed Holguin to “tell the leaders that if no steps are taken on confidence-building measures, I will absolutely not convene an enlarged meeting” after the tripartite meeting.

Christodoulides and Erhurman will next meet on February 24.