Fidan says Turkey needs to ‘lift Greek Cypriots’ reservations’ for better EU relations

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday said his country needs to find a way to “lift the reservations” of the Greek Cypriots, among others, if it wishes to strengthen its relations with the European Union.

“For issues such as the customs union to progress, the reservations of parties in the EU, such as the Greek Cypriot administration, need to be lifted,” he told CNN Turk.

He said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “could raise this issue” during his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Ankara on Wednesday, before saying that he believes that both Mitsotakis and his Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis have “the intention and the capacity to resolve these problems”.

However, he said, the “political climate” in Greece “does not allow for a conducive environment for resolving strategic issues”.

“They are constantly faced with a dilemma between resolving this historical issue and paying the political price,” he said.

His comments come after European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos had last week said she welcomes Turkey’s “engagement” in talks regarding the Cyprus problem following a meeting with Fidan in Ankara, having earlier spoken of an “opportunity” for Turkey to progress its process towards EU accession through Cyprus problem talks.

“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,” Kos 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 month 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.